{"id":14019,"date":"2016-05-23T18:31:04","date_gmt":"2016-05-23T18:31:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/georgiaarsoncontrol.org\/?p=14019"},"modified":"2016-05-23T18:31:04","modified_gmt":"2016-05-23T18:31:04","slug":"iraq-war-veteran-saves-lives-during-fiery-crash-when-training-kicks-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/georgiaarsoncontrol.org\/?p=14019","title":{"rendered":"Iraq war veteran saves lives during fiery crash when training kicks in"},"content":{"rendered":"

Watch the report HERE\u203a\u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

FORT MYERS, Florida (KXAN<\/a>) \u2013 A Florida veteran says his military training kicked in during a fiery seven-vehicle pileup Monday in Fort Myers.<\/p>\n

It began when a semi-truck rear ended a car, causing it to catch fire.<\/p>\n

Patric Hewitt, who served four tours in Iraq, watched the pileup unfold and quickly ran to the burning vehicle and began to pull people out.<\/p>\n

\u201cMe and another gentleman got the car window busted and dragged the first person out,\u201d said Hewitt.<\/p>\n

The driver, James Cwanek, 70, of Fort Myers, and the front-passenger, Austin Perkins, 34, of Minnesota, were transported to Tampa Regional Hospital in critical condition.<\/p>\n

Krisitn R. Lee, 39, of Iowa, who was riding in the back seat died at the scene.<\/p>\n

A total of seven vehicles were involved in the chain-reaction crash.<\/p>\n

\u201cOthers were confused, so I took command,\u201d Hewitt said. \u201cI put orders in. I just made everybody do what they needed to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Witnesses said what Hewitt did was nothing short of heroic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not a hero. I\u2019m just trained to save lives,\u201d he said. \u201cAs soon as the tractor trailer hit the silver car, it burst into flames, at that point, I pulled off the road and ran to the car.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hewitt said his military training kicked in during the situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cA life is a life, and my job is to help people, so my life comes after everybody else\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"