Several Miami Beach and Miami police officers are being hailed as heroes for helping rescue a man from a fiery car crash.
The incident occurred Friday at NE 12th Place and South Venetian Way, according to CBS Miami.
Miami Police Commander Freddie Cruz said the vehicle was “traveling at a high rate of speed in an eastbound direction toward the beach.”
“The driver lost control, hit the median, hit some trees, continued eastbound through the backyard of a home, over the pool, through the side of the home and finally came to rest in the front where the vehicle was engulfed in flames,” he continued.
A passerby who saw the burning Mercedes Benz called the police while two of the passengers exited the vehicle. However, the driver was still trapped inside.
When a Miami Beach police officer and a Miami officer arrived at the scene, they rushed over to help.
“They were trying to bang on the windows. We got my hose, the neighbor’s hose, and we gave it to them. They were hosing it down waiting for the fire truck,” said neighbor Vivian Nouel.
Once fire crews arrived, they cut into the vehicle and eventually freed the man. He was later transported to the hospital in critical condition.
“I want to thank our fellow partners at Miami Beach police and our officers which assisted in breaking the windows and extracting the victim from the vehicle. They could have lost their lives and our officers were very heroic in extracting those people,” Cruz noted.
“This could have been tragic if the family who lives in the home would have been in their backyard or in the pool as this vehicle went at a high rate of speed through their backyard,” he explained.
In a tweet Friday afternoon, the Miami Beach Police Department said it was “Praying for the driver of this crash and thankful for the efforts of the First Responders to help free the man from the burning vehicle.”