Ceasar Velez (left) and Elvin Ocasio (right)By Chris Conte
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Two good Samaritans from Florida are being credited with
saving a man's life along I-24 early Sunday morning after his SUV slammed into
a guardrail and burst into flames.
"It could've been a lot worse. He could've, that guy, could've been
dead," recalls Elvin Ocasio.
Elvin Ocasio and his friend Ceasar Velez just assumed traffic would be the
most trying part of their journey to Nashville from Orlando this weekend. The
two men were traveling to the Music City to compete in a nationwide hair
cutting competition.
"I think everything happens for a reason. I think we were there to help
him out," Ocasio added.
As they passed mile marker 60 around 3:00 a.m. they noticed a red SUV in
front of them swerving, as it crashed into a guardrail, they say the man inside
was ejected and thrown across four lanes of busy traffic. His car then burst
into flames.
"Everybody in (our) car kind of picked themselves up, expecting to run
over him," Ocasio recalls.
Fortunately, Elvin was able to avoid the man who had been ejected. They
managed to stop nearby and run back to pull the man safely out of the road and onto
the shoulder. The driver managed to survive with only minor injuries.
"It definitely makes me be a little more careful while driving,"
said Ocasio.
Ocasio and Velez said they do not even know the name of the man they
rescued.
