New body camera video obtained by 7News shows the moment an officer and a good Samaritan help a trapped driver back to shore after she came to a crashing stop in the Miami River.
The video provided by Miami Police captures officers responding to reports of a City of Miami Waste Management pickup truck that went flying into the Miami River near Northwest 18th Terrace, off 24th Avenue, Dec. 1.
In the footage, an officer can be seen helping one of the trapped employees out of the water with the help of a nearby good Samaritan.
“You OK?” the officer asked the woman
“Yes,” she said.
The woman was driving with a coworker before she lost control. Surveillance video from a nearby business captured the truck as it plowed through a fence, knocking down a tree, and clipped a parked boat before splashing into the river.
“We were about to leave the marina, and we heard, like, an explosion,” said witness Maurico Flores.
A good Samaritan, Rafael Valdez, who saw it all happened was the first to dive into the water to help.
“We need rescue! We need rescue for him,” the officer said.
Valdez smashed through the window of the pickup and began helping both occupants out of the vehicle as it began to sink.
The boat that was damaged in the crash had a completely smashed hull and a shattered window.
The driver of the truck, identified as Odette Moneas Pierre, was cited for careless driving. According to the crash report, Pierre blew threw a stop sign at Northwest 24th Court and 18th Terrace before she lost control of the truck.
As for Valdez, he told 7News in December he was just glad he was in the right place at the right time.
“I feel good that I got there on time,” said Valdez in Spanish.
The new footage showed Valdez stepping back on shore after helping rescue both occupants.
He was treated by paramedics on the scene and later received 18 stitches on his leg.
“For me, he is the hero of the day,” said Flores. “The two women are alive because of him.”
The boat has not yet been repaired as of Monday evening.
Pierre and her coworker were not injured in the crash.
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Source: wsvn
