By EMS1 Staff
CANTON, Texas — A former firefighter was among the Good Samaritans who stopped to help a family overturned in a vehicle during a tornado last weekend.
WFAA.com reported that the five-minute cell phone video capturing the rescue has been viewed more than 25 million times. A family was trying to find a storm shelter when their truck was washed off the road and flipped over.
“It was just black. We couldn’t see anything and I was just trying to find my babies,” Phillip Ocheltree said.
Ocheltree and his wife tried to free their 4-month-old son and 18-month-old daughter without luck. A group of Good Samaritans saw the overturned truck and pried the windows open to help save the family.
Once the children were pulled out, two men started CPR. Former Guatemala firefighter Jaime Martinez, who now works as a musician, was one of those men. He said he never forgot his CPR training, according to the report.
“It just kicks in,” Martinez said.
Both children were taken to a hospital; the 4-month-old was released on Monday and the 18-month-old is still being treated, but is in stable condition.
The family reunited with Martinez and thanked him for helping their children.
“I’m just happy they’re OK,” Martinez said.
They also met three of the other Good Samaritans who helped in the rescue.