Broward Sheriff's Deputy Gina Bascone, left, is praised by Broward Sheriff Ken Jenne.
Two Fort Lauderdale firefighters who were running an errand, a Broward sheriff's deputy on her way home and scores of drivers and passengers on Interstate 95 in Pompano Beach on Thursday afternoon watched in shock as a truck driver emerged from a fiery, tipped-over box truck and fell onto the pavement, the flames still singeing his clothes and skin. The firefighters and deputy, all of whom were off-duty, had happened upon the 3:20 p.m. crash near Copans Road and stopped to help, realizing that they were the first and only rescue workers there, the only ones who could attempt to save the driver's life. "He was so badly burned it didn't look like he could move," said Robert Soto, 38, a Fort Lauderdale firefighter/paramedic. "We ran up and grabbed him and pulled him away," said Soto, who gripped one of the man's arms while his friend, Battalion Chief David DiPetrillo, 57, grabbed the other. School Resource Deputy Gina Bascone was the first to reach the truck, which was loaded with rubber tires, and tried aiming a small fire extinguisher at it, but to no avail. The mess that would paralyze I-95 North and several southbound lanes near Copans Road for much of the afternoon and night left a truck driver who also is a husband and father with severe burns over his entire body, firefighters said. The man, whose name was not released Thursday, was in critical condition at Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital, which specializes in burn cases, said Sandra King, Pompano Beach spokeswoman. Despite horrific injuries and pain, "He was coherent," Soto said of the driver, who spoke only Spanish. Soto said he talked to the man in Spanish in hopes of providing comfort until Pompano Beach firefighters arrived. "He said his mouth was really hurting. He had a bridge in his mouth and I pulled it out for him," Soto said. The large box truck, owned by Miami-based Boulevard Tire, had collided with a silver 2002 Nissan Altima driven by Julianne Ford, 29, of Fort Lauderdale, while both were driving north on I-95, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Troopers said they think Ford may have lost control of her car and crashed into the truck, but they continue to investigate. No charges have been filed. Ford suffered minor injuries when her car was propelled off the roadway and into the sturdy bushes lining the highway, King said, adding that firefighters had to pry her out of the car. Bascone was treated at North Broward Medical Center. She burned her hand and accidentally inhaled the thick smoke. Echoing the sentiments of everyone involved in the effort, Soto sympathized for the driver. "He's got a real tough road ahead," he said. "I hope for the best."
Information From: AP Wire Services
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