ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Heroes are often portrayed wearing a uniform whether it is a nurse, military service member or a first responder. Yet there are sometimes circumstances that turn even the average driver on the highway to perform an extraordinary act of heroism.
Thanks to the quick help of good Samaritans, a mother and her baby are expected to be okay after their car burst into flames on Interstate 95.
“It was traffic, business as usual," Jacksonville homeowner Craig Fuce said.
Traveling back home on I-95, Fuce watched a flipped car catch fire. It was a scary sight many saw Wednesday afternoon.
“I immediately stopped, grabbed my fire extinguisher and got out and ran to the car," Fuce recalled.
Fuce was one of a few good Samaritans who helped get a baby and then her mother out of the car before first responders could arrive.
“They was in the car engulfed in flames," he said. "It was just engulfed in the flames. We were able to get it under control for a minute, but it was just horrific.”
St. Johns County Fire Rescue says both mother and child were taken to the hospital but are expected to be okay.
Fuce says it could have been a lot worse, and it took a team effort – as strangers worked together to direct traffic away from the fiery car and render aid to the mother and her baby.
“I mean, we all put in the hands to do this," he explained. "And I'm grateful. Now, I can sleep at night knowing that this infant, that God brought into this world, and the mother that they are healthy, they good.”