Alyssa Ridenour
reporter@greenepublishing.com
On Monday, Nov. 9, 17-year-old Andrew Chase Cruce of Madison was traveling southbound on SW CR 360, when, according to FHP reports, he traveled off the roadway to the right and onto the shoulder for unknown reasons. His green Mitsubishi Mirage then began to rotate clockwise until colliding with a tree. The vehicle rotated once more before coming to a final rest, facing east. His engine-bay then caught flame.
Fortunately, Cruce was seen by oncoming traffic and several good Samaritans were quick to jump into action. Mike Mobley was the first person on the scene. He arrived with his wrecker and jumped out to try to save the young man from the burning car. However, Mobley soon realized that this would prove to be a tedious task. Cruce was trapped in his car. "When I noticed I couldn't get him out, I knew I had to put the fire out," said Mobley. Mobley then ran back to his wrecker to grab a fire extinguisher and directed his son, Myron Mobley, to call 911. He repeatedly reassured Cruce and told him to stay calm.
Meanwhile, another good Samaritan, Jay Culpepper, pulled up. "We didn't have time to be scared," said Culpepper. "Nobody thought about that. We were just focused on getting him out." He assisted Mike in trying to get Cruce to safety. Not long afterwards, another man stopped with a truck full of tools to help. He tried everything to get Cruce out of the car. He used crowbars, wrenches, screw drivers and a multitude of other items. However, his efforts did not work.
By the time Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) arrived, there were about six to eight people trying to save Cruce. FHP was assisted by the Madison County Sheriff's Office, and Madison Fire Rescue (MFR). MFR extinguished what remained of the fire. Trooper Wright worked the case. The jaws of life was utilized to get Cruce out of his vehicle. He sustained serious injuries and was transported to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare for treatment.