The Florida man often gets a bad rap over the wild antics of his state’s residents.
One went beyond the call of duty in a moment of crisis.
And a Florida man risked his life to make one daring rescue after a disaster.
Florida man receives an award for rescuing child from a burning vehicle
The Florida man often gets his name in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Lakeland, Florida, resident A.J. Slater was recognized with a national award for his heroism.
Slater received the prestigious Carnegie Award for Heroism after rescuing a child from a burning vehicle.
A drunken father was involved in a DUI car crash last November.
He flagged down help as his vehicle went up in flames with his two kids trapped in it.
Slater stepped up in a moment of crisis.
“He screamed, ‘save my kids, save my kids!’” Slater recounted.
Slater rushed toward the burning car and managed to remove three-year-old Walker from it.
The Florida man saw through the smoke and flames there was another child in the vehicle.
“Although I couldn’t see the baby, or the kid, or the car seat, but I just started fumbling with the straps,” Slater recalled.
He fought to get five-year-old JoLynn out of her car seat.
“I started talking to her, because we were both getting burnt. The roof was starting to drip down on us. I was like, ‘it’s okay baby, I’m going to get you out,'” Slater said. “The smoke was so bad, and I was burnt so bad that I couldn’t get her bottom lock undone.”
Slater saved Walker but could not get JoLynn free from her car seat.
A selfless act of heroism
Slater admitted that he was stunned to receive the Carnegie Award.
“It was a big surprise, very big.” “Honestly, it hasn’t hit me yet,” Slater stated. “I was happy but sad at the same time, because all these awards make me think about Jolynn and how I couldn’t save her and how I wish I could.”
Logan Deines, the mother of Walker and Jolynn, praised Slater for his heroism.
“I can’t think of anybody that is more deserving of this award,” Deines said. “A.J. stepped up when nobody else would. He demonstrated a selfless act and very brave act.”
“Someone who has never really been around kids jumps into action to save kids he doesn’t even know,” Deines added. “That’s a lot of bravery. It’s definitely something that should be respected for the rest of his life.”
Slater and Deines became close friends after the tragedy.
He has become a father figure to Walker.
“I basically co-parent with him now. He absolutely adores Walker, and Walker adores him,” Deines stated.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office also honored him for his heroism.
“It doesn’t take a police officer to do the right thing or save someone,” Slater said.
Slater is now pushing for lawmakers to require an emergency release button to be added to the back of car seats that children cannot reach.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
