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LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) — A Good Samaritan is recounting the terrifying moments when he tried to rescue two young children from a fiery crash in a Lakeland neighborhood.
He jumped into action when he heard a father’s desperate pleas to save his two young children who were trapped inside a white Kia sedan.
The car crashed in a wooded area near the intersection of Broadway Street and Lake Parker Drive East, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Officials say the car collided with a tree, which caused the car to catch fire.
A Good Samaritan, Anthony Slater, reached into the burning car and pulled a 3-year-old boy from the flames.
“It took me a while to get him out,” Slater said. “As I got him out, I noticed there was another little girl next to him in a car seat fumbling around unconscious.”
Slater reached back into the burning car to rescue the 5-year-old girl who was strapped in a car seat, but she did not survive the intensity of the flames.
“I tried to get it unlocked and I couldn’t get it to unlock and at that time fire was just all over us burning us up,” Slater said. “She was crying. I was talking to her and trying to calm her down.”
Neighbors dialed 911 when they heard Slater’s frantic calls for help.
“He was trying,” Hal Clark said. “He was screaming ‘help, help’ and there’s nobody to help. The flames were getting in, and you couldn’t even get to it. It was too late.”
Slater is recovering at Tampa General Hospital with extensive burn wounds on his arms and ears.
“I’m really sad that I wasn’t able to save her life, but I was able to save her brother,” Slater said.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said the driver of the vehicle is 30-year-old Kody Wills.
Wills is recovering from a broken ankle and his 3-year-old son is expected to be OK.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
