Behind the wheel of a burning dump truck, Michael Bridges cried out, "Jesus, get me out of here!"
Looking back at that miraculous moment that happened last year, 61-year-old Bridges could not help but feel tremendously grateful to God for quickly responding to his call for help and saving him.
Bridges said he was driving along northbound in Apopka, Florida on Aug. 4, 2016 when his tire blew out, sending his vehicle careening across the other side of the road into oncoming traffic, ClickOrlando reported.
He did manage to evade the oncoming cars but could not stop his truck from crashing into the grass. The vehicle immediately caught fire.
Bridges was trapped. Seeing the flames about to engulf him, he said the only thing he could think of was Jesus.
"Usually when you're hurt, you call your momma, like if you fall out of a tree or off your bike, but this time I called for Jesus Christ," Bridges told News6 WKMG. "I said 'God, don't let me die like this,' and when I said that, this guy opened the door to the truck."
That guy is Jason Williams, 31, a fellow truck driver who saw the whole thing while travelling southbound.
Upon seeing the burning vehicle, Williams stopped, jumped out of his truck and ran to rescue whoever was in the burning wreck.
"I stood there for a minute screaming 'Is anybody in there?' and I didn't hear nothing, and then I heard, 'Jesus, get me out of here,' and that's when I climbed up there and opened the door and helped him out or whatever happened up there. A miracle happened up there," Williams said.
When Williams first tried to extricate Bridges by the arms, the fire was too hot and he lost his grip as Bridges' nearly melted skin slid away from Williams, according to Landline magazine.
But Williams did not give up. He grabbed Bridges in a bear hug and with all his might pulled the man to safety. Williams suffered slight burns to his face and wrist. The truck eventually burned to the ground.
"We got up and walked away from that. If that's not God, then I don't know what is," said Bridges, who underwent several surgeries for his burns.
"He gave me a big hug and thanked me," Williams said. "Then another citizen came, and we helped him as we waited for the ambulance to come."
"You don't meet someone every day who would do that, (who) would risk his life. He has a wife and a daughter and he jeopardised that (to) save me. He didn't know me from Adam. He knew me 10 seconds and saved my life," Bridges said.
Bridges and Williams reunited last week with the help of Florida's Orange County Fire Rescue, which arranged the reunion. They also gave Williams a special award for his heroic actions.
