The man who recently rescued a truck driver from a massive, fiery crash stepped forward to identify himself on Wednesday.
The accident happened on Sunday, May 13th, on Mother’s Day outside of Louisville, Kentucky when a car swerved in front of a big rig, causing the semi truck traveling through an intersection to crash, flip, and immediately go up in flames.
That day, Sergeant First Class Mario King and his wife, Sergeant Adriane King, were coming home from a trip and decided to take an usual route home through some back roads, which may have saved the unnamed truck driver’s life.
King and his wife were just a few cars behind the big rig when the accident happened, and he immediately jumped into action, reported WDRB News.
“My wife was driving at the time, and the next thing I know, I heard, ‘Oh my god!'” he said.
King then jumped into action, racing from his car to the scene of the wreck.
“[The driver] said he couldn’t feel his legs, couldn’t move, so I just grabbed him from the waist down and lifted him out and drug him as far as I could away from the truck,” King explained.
“Being 170 pounds soaking wet, I didn’t think I had enough strength to pull him out… but and I grabbed him and I thought I’m just going to drag this guy as far as I can.”
In the initial report of the crash, witnesses say that King promptly left the scene, but he says he didn’t leave, just kept a low profile.
“The truth is I actually stuck around,” he said.
“It was just … I didn’t feel the need to be up in the forefront… I really don’t like the spotlight.”
Thanks to King, the unnamed truck driver survived, and is expected to make a full recovery. The two may eventually meet someday, but for now King had one thing to share with the recovering trucker -“I just want to say I’m grateful I was able to be there to help,” King said.