[Coleman]

Today I was driving back from my old highschool visiting old teachers and friends. I was driving back when I came up to a point in the road where a jeep-like (can't remember the exact car make) was flipped up-side-down with another car on the side of the road. Some cars in front of me stopped and then just turned around. I dont know how they could just leave like that. So I pulled my car over to the side of the road and put my 4-way flashers on.

I ran about 100 yards uphilll towards the accident and I saw there were already 3 dudes there trying to help with no emergency officials in sight. I got there before any ambulence or firetruck. I sprinted towards the car and saw a Puerto Rican young male (18-25 years old maybe) trapped underneath the car from his stomach down. His head was bleeding everywhere and he was screaming incoherant sentences. The three guys and me decided we HAD pull this man front the wreckage. I sort of smelled fuel, but it really didn't phase me that it could blow up at any moment. So me and three guys lifted this truck. Don't ask me how. It was like one of those moments when they say humans can get super human strength at the right moments in emergencies. It was amazing. We tried lifting for about 30 seconds or so and some other man came over to pull the guy from underneath the car.

When he came out, I couldn't believe what I saw. His leg was badly contorted and I easily saw that it was broken. His head was bleeding from the back and he had cuts all over his body. I had been told by friends and family that I'm weird because I am unphased by voilence and gore (I'm sure some of you are the same way). In retrospect I can't get the picture of his face and mangled body out of my mind. I was totally fine looking at him during the process, but when I look back and remember, it makes me sick. I don't know how paramedics and doctors can do that day to day. God bless them.

So we had the man out, he was trying to get up so we tried to keep him down on the ground. His legs were moving and all so his neck wasn't broken. He managed to overpower the guy holding him down and we tried to escort him over to the grass. When he got over to the grass, the man collapsed and went into shock. That was the first time I ever saw someone go into shock in person, and trust me, it was very scary. At that point in time, a cop rushed up in his car and called in a bunch of backup and things. I heard the firetruck sirens and all. They eventually called in a medivac, so I'm not sure what happened to him. Before I left, someone told me there were more people inside the house where the accident occured. It seemed to me that they were in good condition with bumps, bruises, and scrapes--nothing serious.

I'll see tomorrow if there is a story in the paper (i'm sure there will be. maybe I can get my hands on an online article). But looking back on the whole thing, I think its just amazing that me and three other men pulled over a CAR that weighed a few thousand pounds, to get a bloody man out. When I got home, my brother saw me all dirty and bloody and goes, "What the hell happened to you?!" I told him the story and he's like, "Dude, do you realize you just saved a guys life?" I don't know if he survived, but I am happy that I did my best. I just thank God that it wasn't me in that car that got flipped over.