A Missouri man garnered a lot of attention after being caught on camera. When a crashed car burst into flames, onlookers whipped out their phones to record. They captured the stranger, who decided to do something else entirely. The dramatic video says a lot about the man’s character.
Keilen Robinson, a 23-year-old Missouri man, was driving on Interstate 70 in St. Louis on a Tuesday evening when he crashed into the cement median. The collision left Robinson unconscious and trapped in a car that had burst into flames, according to Fox News. Thankfully, there was someone in the right place at the right time.
Antonio Morgan, a fellow motorist, not only heard the collision, but he saw the predicament Robinson was in and decided to pull over. As onlookers pulled out their phones to record the ordeal, Morgan knew it wasn’t time to film. It was time to pull the driver from the burning wreckage, and he didn’t hesitate.
As the heroic stranger pulled the driver from the flaming car in a completely selfless act, his courage and bravery were captured on camera by his 14-year-old son, who watched his dad’s daring rescue. The minute-and-a-half clip was later shared to Twitter with the caption “This black man is a hero,” where it quickly went viral.
“I had to get him out,” Morgan said, adding that he didn’t give up despite debris from the fire “burning my eyes and hurting my throat.” Indeed, the harrowing footage shows the brave bystander trying to yank the trapped driver from the smoldering vehicle without success, but he refused to give up.
According to Morgan, his rescue efforts were hindered by the fact that Robinson was locked into the driver’s seat by his seatbelt, but thankfully, Morgan never quit in his attempts to free the man. After yet another failed extraction, another man arrived at the scene. He could be heard urging Morgan to step away from the blaze, the NY Post reported. Morgan, however, remained undeterred.
The courageous and determined rescuer preserved, managing to pull Robinson free and drag him to safety. With only seconds to spare, Robinson was freed from the fiery wreckage before being engulfed by the impending inferno. He was then tended to by a police officer before being transported to the hospital by ambulance.
Miraculously, Robinson escaped the harrowing ordeal with only a scratch to his finger, thanks to the hero who wouldn’t give up on him and pulled off an incredibly daring rescue. When asked about his heroic deed, Morgan responded, “I’m a protector by nature,” and said, “I’m just doing what comes natural to me.”
Morgan recognizes, however, that not everyone is so willing to do the same. “All that putting up a phone and not stopping and helping, that’s enough of that,” he said, criticizing the gawkers who stood by and recorded the incident rather than lending a hand. “Put the phones down, and let’s get into this action,” he added, and Keilen Robinson is definitely grateful that Antonio Morgan had that mindset.
“I can’t thank him enough, man,” Robinson said of Morgan when he finally got to meet his brave savior. “He will always be a part of my life and my family’s life. That’s a good man,” he added, and many others agreed. Antonio Morgan is indeed a hero, who was willing to put his life on the line to save a complete stranger.
“That’s the hero in my eyes. He didn’t cower at all,” gushed the person who originally posted the clip on social media as awestruck commenters shared similar sentiments. “That is not an easy feat when your heart is going 150 bpm and every instinct in you is telling you to run! He’s a freakin superhero,” one such social media user remarked, and we couldn’t agree more. Job well done, sir!
