DENVER (KDVR) — A wrong way driver on Interstate 76 in Denver last Friday caused a deadly crash, and a rescue crew attempted to save a life with expertise brought from the other side of the world.
Colorado State Patrol says it happened Friday night on 76 between Federal Boulevard and Pecos Street. A truck was going the wrong way in the westbound lane when it struck another vehicle.
The first crew on the scene didn’t come from Colorado, or even the United States, but jumped into action, nonetheless. Lee and Kim, firefighters from South Korea, are thousands of miles from home.
“We came here to train swift water rescues,” says Lee.
They arrived a week ago with their team to train on Clear Creek with the Golden Fire Department. On Friday night, they left that training and got on I-76 to go home for the night.
“Suddenly on the road crashed the two cars and the one car rolled over in front of our car,” says Lee.
They were driving behind one of the vehicles involved in the accident and were shocked at what they saw.
“Red pickup truck completely flipped over,” says Kim.
Even though they were thousands of miles from home, they didn’t hesitate to do their job, first calling 911 and then working to prevent another accident.
“Two or three of our guys tried to control traffic using the light of the smartphone,” says Kim.
They checked the truck for the passengers, but say the front doors were stuck. When they went around back, they saw an unconscious man through the rear window.
“We assumed it is cardiac arrest so immediately we tried to pull him out,” says Kim.
After getting him out of the truck, they needed to give him medical attention.
“There is no breathing and little pulse, so we tried CPR,” says Kim.
The team performed CPR until Adams County Fire Rescue arrived, but unfortunately the man later died at the hospital. Kim says he’s saddened by the loss but says there was no hesitation to help because the job of a first responder doesn’t stop even thousands of miles from home.
“Because it’s our instinct to control the situation and accident and save someone’s life,” says Kim.
CSP says the drivers of both the truck and the car it crashed with only suffered minor injuries. Any potential charges for the wrong way driver are still pending.
