Warning: This article contains graphic images and video which some readers may find distressing.
A man hailed as a hero for rescuing a toddler from certain death has recounted his heartbreaking inability to save the boy’s sister from a fiery vehicle.
On November 7, Anthony Slater was going about his routine when he heard a father’s frantic cries for help, begging for someone to rescue his two young children trapped in a burning car.
The white Kia sedan reportedly caught fire after veering off the road and crashing into a wooded area within a Lakeland, Florida neighborhood.
Slater attempted to remove the children from their car seats as their 30-year-old father, Kody Wills, lay incapacitated beside the vehicle. Although he successfully freed the three-year-old boy, he was unable to save the five-year-old sister.
Recalling the ordeal, an emotional Slater told WFLA News Channel 8: “It took me a while to get him out, and as I got him out, I noticed that there was another little girl next to him in a car seat, fumbling around, unconscious.”
A week after the incident, from his hospital bed where he is being treated for severe burns to his arms, Slater described his efforts to save her once she regained consciousness.
“She was crying, and I was talking to her, trying to calm her down, and I had to leave her,” he added.
“[I’m] really sad for her, that I couldn’t save her life, but I’m glad that I was able to save her brother,” he said.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the incident occurred at the intersection of Lake Parker Drive East and Broadway Street.
The tragic accident was witnessed by Hal Clark, whose home is adjacent to the crash site.
Speaking to the TV station, he said: “He was trying, and he was screaming, ‘Help, help,’ and there’s nobody to help, and the flames were getting in, and you couldn’t even get to it, and it was too late.”
A GoFundMe page has been established to assist with Slater’s medical expenses, while another GoFundMe has been created to cover the toddler’s hospital costs and the sister’s funeral arrangements.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends at (877) 969-0010.