A couple that happened upon a fiery crash on Interstate 95 in Miami-Dade early Sunday said they immediately went into action to try to help the victims.
Augusto Vega and Priscilla Haisley believe they were in the right place at the right time when they came across the fiery wreck while heading home from a New Year's Eve concert in an Uber.
"Every second was a life or death thing,” Vega told NBC 6.
The crash happened around 4:40 a.m. when a Nissan Altima that was traveling north on I-95 in the area of Northwest 95th Street lost control and collided with a Dodge Challenger, Florida Highway Patrol officials said.
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The Nissan then drove off the roadway onto a grassy area in the right shoulder where it crashed into a tree and became completely engulfed in flames.
There were five people in the Nissan and three of them died inside of vehicle, officials said. The other two passengers were possibly ejected from the vehicle onto the ground, the FHP said.
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Vega and Haisley said they couldn't tell if anyone was inside, but they knew they had to do something when they spotted the car on fire.
"Something within me just said go, because you only have seconds here," Vega said.
Haisley noticed a woman who was cut and bleeding.
"I asked her 'are you okay, were you in the crash?' She said 'yes, please help me,'” Haisley said. "I kept asking her 'who's in the car, who's with you?' and she kept telling me 'four people, four people.'"
"It wasn't even a choice, I just ran because this young lady told us there's more people in the car,” Vega said.
Vega said he found another woman face-down and motionless in the bushes.
"After I woke her up I said 'you're going to make it through this, just trust me, hold my hand,' and I did the best I can moving her away from the fire,” Vega said. "It wasn't a conscious decision to get in there to help, it was a human instinct."
Vega and Haisley spent Sunday reflecting on what happened. They said the Uber they were in took forever to get to them, and said when they look back, they realize everything happened for a reason.
"Sometimes you have to act and life shows you, right in front of you and you have to make a choice," Vega said.
The two survivors were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center in critical condition. Authorities haven't released the names of anyone involved in the crash
The crash remains under investigation.
