LAKELAND, Fla. — Lakeland Fire Department’s assistant fire chief Michael Williams is being hailed a hero for saving a man stuck inside a vehicle engulfed in flames.
On December 28, Williams and his wife were on vacation traveling on I-75 near Ocala when a car accident occurred.
“We could see that one vehicle was on fire in the woods in the median. Luckily, someone had stopped. I asked the person who stopped, 'Was everyone out of the car?' They replied, ‘No,’” explained Williams.
He said several people stood on the shoulder of the road, but no one approached the burning SUV. That is when Williams got out of his truck and sprang into action.
“I got a hammer out of the back of my toolbox. I ran down and left my wife on the roadside watching. I knocked out the passenger window and could see inside that a gentleman was slumped over the wheel unresponsive, and the fire was spreading quickly,” Williams said.
Unable to reach the driver, he went through the woods to the driver's side of the vehicle. After breaking the driver's side window, he tried pulling the unresponsive victim through, but the seat belt pulled him back down.
“Honestly, going through my mind, I thought that I was going to fail to get this gentleman out because the fire was rolling over all sides of the vehicle,” he said.
He eventually unlocked the driver's door and pulled the man out of the burning vehicle. The victim regained consciousness and was transported to the hospital for second and third-degree burns.
In the process, Williams sustained burns to his hands, face, and scalp. If not for his selfless actions, the victim would have likely died in the fire.
Williams was given the City of Lakeland Heroism Award. City Manager Shawn Sherrouse also presented Williams with a new hammer since his old hammer was destroyed in the fire.
Williams said he does not consider himself a hero.
“I would hope that if that were me or my family in that situation, there would be someone to stop and help as well,” said Williams.
