Photo By Sgt. 1st Class John Carkeet IV | Flames engulf an SUV Yesenia Villarreal and her friend, Jose Juan Romero were riding...... read more read more
TAMPA, Fla. — Traffic was a little heavier southbound on Interstate 75 on a sunny Wednesday afternoon near Gibsonton, Fla.. Many who took the road that day were making their way back to their homes after evacuating north to escape Hurricane Irma that engulfed the state with raging winds and torrential rainfall just three days earlier. Yesenia Villarreal and her friend, Jose Juan Romero, were among the mass influx of anxious residents rushing home to see if there was even a home to come back to. The pair rode out the storm with relatives in Alabama. Their decision spared them from the worst of what Irma offered to the peninsula. Sadly, that same, sound logic exposed them to a type of terror that no storm could have replicated.
“I thought we were too late to do anything but watch in horror as charred corpses came into view or, worse, hear gut wrenching screams as the fire roasted the victims alive,” said Sgt. John L. Carkeet IV, an Army Reserve photojournalist with the 143d Sustainment Command (Expeditionary).
Carkeet was heading home after work when he saw the horror unfold in his rear view mirror.
“The vehicle flipped, caught fire and tumbled into the hedges and trees on the right shoulder of the highway, said Carkeet. “About 30 seconds passed from the time I stopped the car and sprinted to the scene of the accident.”
Romeo’s SUV had blown a tire and veered out of control coming to a rest at the road’ in the roads shoulder.
Romero quickly exited the vehicle with barely a scratch, but the twisted metal showed no mercy to his friend wedged between the passenger door and caved in dash.
"I blacked out and really didn't remember much except hearing the voices of people trying to get me out,” said Villarreal.
Four other individuals had joined Carkeet as they quickly yet cautiously approached the inferno. The group was briefly stunned as to how to help Villarreal.
“We could not pull Yesenia out through any of the doors due to the spreading fire and oblique angle that the vehicle had settled,” said Carkeet. “Fortunately, one of the rescuers had grabbed a fire extinguisher from his truck. He extinguished the flames nearest the passenger and used the container to break through the windshield.”
Carkeet and the remaining two men wasted no time grabbing Yesenia and pulling her free from the flames that were already licking into the front passenger from where she once sat.
“We dragged her to a nearby patch of grass, only to realize that the fire from the SUV had spread to shrubs and brushes near us,” recalled Carkeet.
Realizing that he and his courageous rescuers were seconds from literally going down in flames, Carkeet barked out his orders.
“I used my ‘command voice,’” said Carkeet. “That sound of authority snapped the group to attention as we sprung into action.”
Mustering all their strength and speed, Carkeet and his team lifted Yesenia off the ground and cradled carried her across the highway. As they cleared the smoke and haze, a pleasant surprise awaited them.
“Two paramedics were driving north on I-75 when tehy saw the accident,” said Carkeet. The two were waiting for us with their lifesaving gear in hand.”
Carkeet credits his service in the Army for enhancing his situational awareness and improving his responsive skills that kept in cool in the heat of the moment.
“The skills, training and experience acquired through seven years serving in the Army Reserve reinforced my ability to quickly assess the situation and take appropriate action,” said Cakeet. “The culmination of classes, exercises, missions and deployments helped quell my fears and encourage me to take command of total strangers united to save a fellow human being.”
Villarreal sustained a burnt left arm, broken middle finger and fractures to her rib and spine. Despite these grievous wounds, she and her doctors expect a full recovery in six weeks’ time.
“I appreciate the strangers that took the time and effort to help me and my friend,” said Villareal. It’s a miracle I'm still alive.”
| Date Taken: | 10.04.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 10.04.2017 10:38 |
| Story ID: | 250531 |
| Location: | TAMPA, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 50 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, In the Heat of The Moment, by SGT Aaron Ellerman, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
