‘Selfless and Courageous’ Teenager Moved to Tears While Being Hailed a Hero For Saving an Officer

Awesome
By
Writer

This is some really refreshing news to report, considering some of the negative headlines teens often create these days.

Thalia Rodriguez, a 17-year-old high school student and aspiring paramedic, put her first responder skills to the test on Sunday when she stopped to help a police officer who had crashed his motorcycle in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Now, the teen is being hailed a hero.

READ: Grammy-Winning Rapper Calls Out Churches for Not Preaching the ‘Hard Truth’ of God’s Judgment

Rodriguez, a senior at Westland Haileah High School, was moved to tears as she was officially recognized for her “selfless, courageous” actions. She was presented with a shopping gift card, but the humble teen initially refused, saying someone else who needed it more should have it. You can see that at the 2:25 mark of this local news report:

She was driving on Interstate-75 near Miami Lakes on Sunday morning while on her way to attend ride-alongs with the Hialeah Fire Department. She drove past a serious accident on the roadway and decided to pull over.

“I knew that I had to stop because it would kill me if I wouldn’t have stopped,” Rodriguez told local news station WPLG. “You know, you never know what might happen. You might save him.”

The teen found off-duty Miami Dade police officer, Maj. Ricky Carter, severely injured moments after he crashed his personal motorcycle into a guardrail.

“He was on the floor and he wasn’t looking good,” Rodriguez told WPLG.

Rodriguez, who has taken first responder courses at her high school for the past three years, said her training immediately kicked in. She, along with a nurse who also pulled over to help, applied a makeshift tourniquet to Carter’s wounded leg.

“I saw that he was bleeding from one of his legs,” Rodriguez told the local news station. “She [the nurse] brought back a belt and we both put it on his legs. So we did stop the bleeding. We both did what we could do at the time.”

Carter was transported by helicopter to a local hospital in serious condition. Investigators said no other vehicles were involved in the crash and it’s unclear how it happened, according to WPLG.

“The entire Miami-Dade Police Department is keeping Maj. Ricky Carter in their thoughts and prayers during this difficult time,” the Miami-Dade Police Department said in a statement over the weekend. “We ask that he and his family be given the privacy they need throughout this critical stage.”

The officer’s family has issued a thank you to the community for their support and prayers.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools superintendent Alberto Carvalho presented Rodriguez with an award this week for her heroic actions.

The teen, who is part of the city of Hialeah’s fire-cadet program, told WPLG she just did what she’s been trained to do.

“I just did what I could do,” she said, adding that she plans to donate blood in honor of Carter.

The Miami-Dade Police Department announced an emergency blood drive at four locations around the county on Monday for Carter as well as another Miami police officer, Carlos Gomez, who was critically injured in another crash Monday morning in Wynwood.

(H/T WPLG, Miami Herald)

—

Other Must-Read Stories:

– ‘Raising Your Hands and Some Goofy-a** Sh**’: Brad Pitt Explains His ‘Rocky Relationship’ With Religion

– Relationship Goals: Actor Gets Candid When Reporter Asks for the Key to a ‘Healthy, Hollywood Marriage’

– U.S. Senate Candidate Recounts How Seeing an Ultrasound Triggered a Haunting Memory He Will ‘Carry to the Grave’

– ‘The Bible is Always Ahead of the Curve’: Ominous Iran-North Korea Report Emerges Just Days After Pastor’s Warning