Off-duty paramedic pulls trapped driver from burning car on I-75, Florida officials say

A paramedic was driving to work one morning when he had to jump into action before he was even on the clock.

Stephen Cabrera with Marion County Fire Rescue pulled over on Interstate 75 after another driver veered off the road and crashed into a tree, causing the car to catch fire, the department said Dec. 30.

Other motorists started calling 911 at about 7:10 a.m. after witnessing the crash, saying the driver was trapped inside the vehicle, which was quickly becoming engulfed in flames.

Cabrera got there before any on-duty first responder, and another person broke the window open, fire rescue officials said.

“There was flames inside the passenger compartment and he was actively getting burned on the right side of his body,” Cabrera told WESH.

He said there was a moment where he doubted whether they would be able to get the door open, but they did and pulled the man away from the vehicle, he told the outlet.

He rendered aid to the man until other paramedics arrived and transported the driver to a hospital as a trauma alert, fire rescue said.

People are calling Cabrera a hero. He said he’s doing his job.

“It’s kind of instinct nowadays,” the longtime fire rescue employee told WESH. “So I just kind of did what any first responder across the state would have done.”

He also commended the helpful bystanders who didn’t have that same training.

“The decisive actions of Critical Care Paramedic Cabrera exemplify courage and dedication, and undoubtedly saved a life today,” Marion County Fire Rescue officials said.

Firefighters said they extinguished the blaze in five minutes. Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the crash.

Marion County is in north central Florida, about an 85-mile drive northwest from Orlando.