ORLANDO, Fla. – Two News 6 employees sprung into action when a car crashed outside the WKMG studio Wednesday morning.
News 6 traffic safety expert Trooper Steve Montiero and morning director Willie Doby were getting a breath of fresh air around 7:15 a.m. when they heard a loud sound that stopped them in their tracks.
"I looked to my right and I saw the (telephone) pole sparking fire, and so I knew it was an accident and so I started calling Steve's name, and he started running toward me and we just took off," Doby said.
Both men jetted across John Young Parkway, even hopping over a concrete barrier in order to assess the damage of the crash. When they got to the scene, they found a silver convertible flipped on its side with its airbags deployed and the two men partially ejected.
"The car was on its side. It looked like it was traveling pretty fast and, unfortunately, struck that pole," Montiero said.
The driver was likely speeding when he lost control, swerved to the right side of the road then hit a curb and flipped into the pole, Montiero said.
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Montiero, an Air Force veteran who worked as a Florida Highway Patrol trooper for eight years, said his training and instincts kicked in when he saw the two injured men.
"I got down; jumped right into first responder mode -- you know, having that trooper mindset. Got down there; made sure he was OK. One of them was still stuck inside the car; heavy laceration to their forehead. It's pretty bad. You can see this passenger's skull at this point," Montiero said.
Montiero first did his best to make sure the downed power line was not active, then he and Doby pulled both the driver and the passenger away from the mangled vehicle.
They asked a nearby citizen to take off his shirt so it could be wrapped around the victim's wound to stop the heavy bleeding from his forehead and cover his exposed skull.
First responders arrived at the crash scene shortly thereafter and took over treating the victims, neither of whom were wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash.
Officials said both men were taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center for treatment. The passenger is in critical but stable condition, and the driver is in stable condition.