Marine who lost both legs to an IED saves baby from Queens car crash
- 9 years ago
QUEENS, NEW YORK — A marine who lost both his legs while stationed in Afghanistan didn't let that slow him down when he rescued a baby from a smoking car in Queens on Wednesday.
Matias Ferreira, 26, who is getting married this week, was on his way home to Long Island when he came across a car crash.
"My baby! My baby!," a frantic female driver screamed after her vehicle ran into a median pole on Cross Bay Blvd. in Howard Beach.
The marine jumped out of his pickup truck and sprinted over on his prosthetic legs with his brother and future father-in-law right behind him.
Ferreira had just left his wedding rehearsal when he heard the crash behind him.
"Instinctively you just react, you don't freeze, and thankfully we were able to make a difference," Ferreira said.
While the other two got the mother and father out of the smoking car, Ferreira ripped off a headrest, got into the backseat and freed the baby from her car seat.
Matias and his brother stayed with the family until emergency crews arrived on scene.
"I didn't hear the baby crying, so I got kind of concerned," the marine said. "Then I saw her open her eyes, and it kind of reassured me she was doing better."
An FDNY spokesman said the baby was taken to Elmhurst Hospital in stable condition after the crash.
Matias Ferreira lost both of his legs from the knees down and broke his hip when he stepped on an improvised explosive device while fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan in January 2011.
Ferreira said he hopes the rescue will show others the promise of people with disabilities. "The prostheses were the last thing on my mind," he said of the rescue.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US news, celebrity gossip, salacious scandals, dumb criminals and much more! Subscribe now for daily news animations that will knock your socks off.
Visit our official website for all the latest, uncensored videos: http://us.tomonews.net
Check out our Android app: http://bit.ly/1rddhCj
Check out our iOS app: http://bit.ly/1gO3z1f
Get top stories delivered to your inbox everyday: http://bit.ly/tomo-newsletter
Stay connected with us here:
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TomoNewsUS
Twitter @tomonewsus http://www.twitter.com/TomoNewsUS
Google+ http://plus.google.com/+TomoNewsUS/
Instagram @tomonewsus http://instagram.com/tomonewsus
Matias Ferreira, 26, who is getting married this week, was on his way home to Long Island when he came across a car crash.
"My baby! My baby!," a frantic female driver screamed after her vehicle ran into a median pole on Cross Bay Blvd. in Howard Beach.
The marine jumped out of his pickup truck and sprinted over on his prosthetic legs with his brother and future father-in-law right behind him.
Ferreira had just left his wedding rehearsal when he heard the crash behind him.
"Instinctively you just react, you don't freeze, and thankfully we were able to make a difference," Ferreira said.
While the other two got the mother and father out of the smoking car, Ferreira ripped off a headrest, got into the backseat and freed the baby from her car seat.
Matias and his brother stayed with the family until emergency crews arrived on scene.
"I didn't hear the baby crying, so I got kind of concerned," the marine said. "Then I saw her open her eyes, and it kind of reassured me she was doing better."
An FDNY spokesman said the baby was taken to Elmhurst Hospital in stable condition after the crash.
Matias Ferreira lost both of his legs from the knees down and broke his hip when he stepped on an improvised explosive device while fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan in January 2011.
Ferreira said he hopes the rescue will show others the promise of people with disabilities. "The prostheses were the last thing on my mind," he said of the rescue.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US news, celebrity gossip, salacious scandals, dumb criminals and much more! Subscribe now for daily news animations that will knock your socks off.
Visit our official website for all the latest, uncensored videos: http://us.tomonews.net
Check out our Android app: http://bit.ly/1rddhCj
Check out our iOS app: http://bit.ly/1gO3z1f
Get top stories delivered to your inbox everyday: http://bit.ly/tomo-newsletter
Stay connected with us here:
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TomoNewsUS
Twitter @tomonewsus http://www.twitter.com/TomoNewsUS
Google+ http://plus.google.com/+TomoNewsUS/
Instagram @tomonewsus http://instagram.com/tomonewsus