Miami

‘I'm Going to Help': Man Helps Save Miami-Dade Crash Victim From Watery Death

A man who helped rescue a victim of a fatal crash in northwest Miami-Dade over the weekend is speaking out about his heroic actions.

Deniro Vinces rolled up on the scene at Northwest 25th Street and Northwest 117th Avenue Sunday shortly after police. A violent collision between two vehicles sent one into a canal.

Officers told Vinces a person was trapped in the submerged car.

"I took out my certification. I'm a fireman from Ecuador," Vinces told NBC 6 in Spanish Tuesday. "I'm a fireman, I'm a fireman. Can I help? They say yes."

Vinces and three officers entered the water and were able to locate the car despite not being able to see in the dark water.

"We didn't know how many people were really in there, until we actually found the victim and we grabbed his foot. We tried to take him out, but the water was dark. We couldn't do anything," he said.

By this time fire rescue arrived and Vinces and police were able to tell rescue crews exactly where the victim was.

"Their firemen went right to the spot. They pulled him and we wasn't good. They tried to resuscitate him," he said.

Because of the volunteer firefighter from Ecuador that victim was transported to the hospital and his life was saved.

Two victims, a father and son, were in the other car that ended up under the turnpike overpass.

The father was seriously hurt and the son was killed. The victims haven't been identified.

Because Vinces didn't think about risking his own life, fatalities were minimized.

"It's something you're born with, you don't think about it," he said. "The only thing I thought was there is someone underwater and I'm going to help."

Miami-Dade police are investigating the cause of the crash.

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