On January 13, 2017, a civilian was reunited with the man he rescued from a burning truck on S.R. 429 in August 2016, the first time the two met face-to-face after months of exchanging phone calls and text messages.
The reunion was held at Orange County Fire Rescue Station 28 on Clarcona Road, Apopka, where Jason Williams was presented the Citizen Lifesaving Award for his proven heroism before emergency crews arrived.
Michael Bridges was involved in a serious auto accident on August 4, 2016, when Williams witnessed the accident as he was traveling alongside the burning truck on South S.R. 429. When Williams saw the vehicle catch flames, he immediately ran to Bridges’ rescue.
Prior to emergency crew arrival, Williams opened the door of the crashed vehicle in an attempt to rescue the driver. On his second attempt, Williams successfully lifted Bridges out of the burning truck, suffering minor burns to his face. Bridges suffered extensive burns on both of his arms.
In the posted video, Bridges and Williams meet for the first time. Chelsea Ryan, Orange County spokeswoman, introduce the reunion. More videos of the event can be found on The Apopka Chief’s YouTube page.
An extended story plus photos will appear in the January 20 issue of The Apopka Chief.Â
