Man who rescued 3-year-old boy trapped in burning car recalls having to leave boy's sister behind
Joe Yates
Featured Image Credit: WFLA News Channel 8
Warning: This article contains graphic images and video which some readers may find distressing.
A hero who saved a toddler from certain death has spoken out about tragically being unable to save the boy's sister from a burning car.
On November 7, Anthony Slater was going about his day as normal when he heard a dad's desperate cry for help, pleading for someone to save his two young children from inside a burning car.
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The white Kia sedan is understood to have caught fire after coming off the road and crashing into a wooded area in a neighborhood in Lakeland, Florida.
Slater attempted to wrestle the pair out of their car seats as their 30-year-old dad Kody Wills lay beside on the floor beside the car unable to move, and while he did manage to free the three-year-old boy, he was unable to rescue his five-year-old sister.
Reflecting on his heroics, an emotional Slater told WFLA News Channel 8: “It took me a while to get him out, and as I got him out, I noticed that there was another little girl next to him in a car seat, fumbling around, unconscious."
Speaking a week on from the incident from a hospital bed, where he is being treated for severe burns to his arms, he explained how he did everything he possibly could to free her from the flames once she regained consciousness.
“She was crying, and I was talking to her, trying to calm her down, and I had to leave her,” he added.
“[I'm] really sad for her, that I couldn’t save her life, but I’m glad that I was able to save her brother,” he said,
Polk County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed the incident happened by the intersection of Lake Parker Drive East and Broadway Street.
The horrific accident was witnessed by Hal Clark, whose home neighbors the crash site.
Speaking to the TV station, he said: "He was trying, and he was screaming, ‘Help, help,’ and there’s nobody to help, and the flames were getting in, and you couldn’t even get to it, and it was too late.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help fund Slater's medical bills, while a second GoFundMe has been created to pay for the little boy's hospital expenses as well as the young girl's funeral.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends on (877) 969-0010.