‘He’s a real hero.’ Firefighter rescues girlfriend, survives intense flames in tanker crash
Bryan Aparicio, a Broward firefighter, risked his life and braved intense flames to save his girlfriend after the pair were caught in a three-vehicle crash Tuesday that ended with a fuel tanker rupturing, spreading a large fire and sending six people to the hospital.
“Sometimes heroes come out of the shadows and risk themselves,” said Jason Smith, president of the Broward County Professional Firefighters and Paramedics Association, International Association of Firefighters Local 4321.
After their Uber slammed into a concrete wall, Aparicio noticed his girlfriend was trapped inside of the car. Without a second thought, he utilized his professional training — and put his life in danger — to save her life.
“It happened in a split second,” Smith said. “So what he instantaneously did, through all that fire, he just went ahead and sacrificed essentially everything that he had of his life to make sure that she could get out.”
Suffering “significant” second-degree burns to his face, hands and arms, he was able to pull her out of the car.
“This is the same type of heart and daily grind that he gives to the residents and visitors of Broward County,” Smith said. “He took that moment to shine and give light to another...which just shows the heart of who he is.”
The harrowing crash Tuesday afternoon began on I-95 near the Atlantic Avenue interchange. A car veered into the left lane, for reasons not yet known, smashing into the fuel tanker — sending both toward the inside shoulder, which caused the truck to overturn. A third car, with Aparicio and his girlfriend inside, tried to avoid the crash but the Uber driver rammed into a concrete median wall.
It will take more than a week before officials can put out an official report on the crash, Florida Highway Patrol Lieutenant Indiana Miranda said.
READ MORE: Tanker truck ablaze on I-95 in Delray Beach leaves driver with severe burns, troopers say
Delray Beach Fire spokesperson Dani Moschella said 75 firefighters from three different departments worked together to extinguish the blaze.
Aparicio has been a firefighter for three years at Station 10, covering the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport.
A GoFundMe, created for the two by Aparicio’s fellow firefighters at Station 10, has raised $20,943 out of its $50,000 goal.
Aparicio was taken to Delray Medical and his girlfriend was flown to Jackson Memorial Hospital, both in critical condition with severe burn injuries, the GoFundMe said.
Smith added that Aparicio’s family is working to get him transferred to Jackson Memorial Hospital.
“He’s a real hero and we are honored to do whatever we can for him because it just shows his selflessness,” Smith said.
This story was originally published October 26, 2022 at 9:23 PM.
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