Some say that’s in moments of crisis that humans show their true colours, their real character.
If that’s the case then David Fredericksen, a professional truck driver, is built of stern stuff indeed. He was travelling along the I-10 Freeway in Gulfport, Mississippi when he witnessed a car travelling at 70mph collide with an 18-wheeler’s gas tank.
Needless to say, a catastrophe ensued, with a fireball and clouds of black smoke erupting from the carnage, as per ABC News.
Walter Letterman, Frederickson’s partner, thought all must be dead.
Frederick himself feared his pal was right, but at the same time knew he had to do something. He stopped his vehicle a safe distance away, grabbed his fire extinguisher and ran towards the inferno.
Upon reaching the crash site, Fredericksen did his best to get the flames under control.
He said: “When I got out of the truck and I pulled the pin [of his fire extinguisher], I just automatically started praying, ‘God please don’t let me have to deal with somebody halfway burned alive, screaming, or have to see kids in here. I mean I didn’t want to see something like that. My first reaction was that they were dead.”
Incredible find
Fortunately, he was wrong. In the midst of the terror and chaos, he caught a glimpse of something that commanded his attention.
Speaking to CBN, he said: “I saw this little head pop up in the back window, and immediately, I thought, ‘Wow, they’re alive!”
It turned out a 51-year-old woman and a toddler, who later transpired to be the woman’s grandchild, were trapped inside.
“We noticed there was a lady in the front, kicking the front seat – the door, trying to get out, and when we opened the door, I noticed a 1-year-old little girl in the back seat,” Fredericksen explained.
“I heard the metal bending. I’m a pretty good-sized guy, and if you watch the video, you can see that I’m struggling pretty hard to get it open.”
Using all his strength, and calling for help from a higher power, Fredericksen doggedly fought on. He asked God for a miracle, and it appears the big man answered.
Without minutes, other motorists had come to help him, and together they managed to wrench the door open.
“Then, in the back seat, that little head, I saw it pop up again, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw some other people showing up, and so I reached into the back seat, and I grabbed the little girl. I reached in and she grabbed me around the neck.
“She was pretty happy when I grabbed her out of there.”
Both the toddler and her grandmother were whisked to safety, just in the nick of time. No sooner had they left the vehicle than did it go up in flames, leaving only a husk of blackened, charred metal.
Scott Swanson, the man who was driving the truck that was involved in the accident, admitted: “I don’t know how we all made it through that.”.
Adding to the mystery of how things managed to turn out as well as they did, Fredericksen wasn’t burned by the metal, despite touching the car with his bare hands.
“The car was on fire, and I didn’t burn my hands. It wasn’t hot,” Fredericksen said. He believes God intervened, using him to help rescue the two victims.
“I believe that He protected me and protected them.
“If I had been twenty seconds sooner, I would have been down the road. If it would have been ten seconds sooner, it would have been me she hit. I’ve never met that lady, but I am just very happy that I was able to help her that day. It seemed surreal that they were okay. I mean, I didn’t think anyone could survive that, truthfully.”
Whether it was God’s work, or simply the incredible bravery, quick thinking and determination of David Fredericksen alone, none can dispute that everyone coming out unscathed is a miracle.
Please share this story to pay tribute to David Fredericksen, a modern day hero who put others first and was able to save lives as a result!
We think the world needs more people like him.
