HIALEAH, Fla. – A 17-year-old girl is being hailed a hero for pulling over Sunday to help an off-duty Miami-Dade police officer after he crashed his personal motorcycle on Interstate 75 near Miami Lakes.
Thalia Rodriguez is an aspiring paramedic and has taken first responder courses in her high school for three years.
"You never know what you are capable until you are put on the spot," Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez was presented with an award for her heroic actions by Miami-Dade County Public Schools superintendent Alberto Carvalho.
The senior at Westland Hialeah High School wasn't supposed to be on I-75 Sunday morning, but she ended up changing her plans to attend ride-alongs with the Hialeah Fire Department.
It was while she was on her way there that she drove past a serious accident.
"I knew that I had to stop because it would kill me if I wouldn't have stopped," Rodriguez said. "You know, you never know what might happen. You might save him."
Rodriguez pulled over and found Maj. Ricky Carter badly hurt moments after he crashed into a guardrail.
"He was on the floor and he wasn't looking good," Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said she didn't have time to think. She, along with a nurse who also pulled over, applied a makeshift tourniquet to Carter's injured leg.
"I saw that he was bleeding from one of his legs," Rodriguez said. "She brought back a belt and we both put it on his legs. So we did stop the bleeding. We both did what we could do at the time."
Rodriguez is part of the city of Hialeah's fire-cadet program. All the training she's had during her classes with former Hialeah Fire Department Lt. Luis Espinosa kicked in.
"She certainly set a pretty high standard to perform now," Espinosa said.
The teen said she just did what she's been trained to do and is humbled by all the attention.
"I just did what I could do," Rodriguez said.
The Carter family has issued a thank you to the community for all of their support and prayers.
Rodriguez said she is going to donate blood Tuesday in honor of Carter.
Click here to find locations to donate blood for Carter, as well as a Miami police officer who was injured Monday morning in another crash.