An off-duty firefighter rescued a woman from her burning vehicle just moments before it exploded into a fireball.
What would we do if we saw someone in danger? Would we have the courage to act? Would we know what to do?
God places us in situations we never thought we would be in. But He gives us the courage and wisdom to handle them.
God put Andrew Nixon there that night to save a woman’s life. But His purpose was beyond that rescue.
Off-Duty Firefighter Spots a Crash
Nixon works as a firefighter for the St. Bernard Parish Fire Department. On Saturday night, September 20, he was driving home from a wedding with his fiancé.
They were on Interstate 10 near the Mississippi state line when Nixon saw a car veer off the road and crash into an 18-wheeler.
“All I did see is her just veering off to the left, and I had seen that her tires were on fire,” Nixon said.
Car Bursts into Flames with Driver Trapped Inside
Nixon stopped his car and ran toward the burning vehicle. The driver’s door was slightly open. Nixon tried to talk to the woman inside, but she did not answer.
“I run up to the car. I’m trying to ask her, ‘Are you all right? Is anyone else in the car?’ But she’s not answering,” he said. “So, I run around to the other side, to the right passenger side. And honestly, I had tunnel vision. I started freaking out and I was like, ‘I got to get her out, some kind of way.'”
Nixon started hitting the windshield with his bare hands. He broke through the glass, but quickly realized that would not work. Smoke filled the car. Flames grew larger. Time was running out.
A Miraculous Rescue by the Grace of God
“I seen the flames coming into the car,” he said. “So, I knew I had to get her out right then and there, or else. I grabbed her and somehow, by the grace of God, I literally lifted her up, pulled her out the top of the door, brought her to the side.”
A photo shows Nixon talking to the woman right after pulling her from the car. “That’s seconds after I pulled her out,” he explained. “She literally had seconds before that car was fully engulfed.”
Chris Kaufmann serves as chief of St. Tammany Fire Protection District No. 1. His crew arrived after the fire had already taken over the vehicle. Kaufmann said the woman would not have survived without Nixon.
“He was her last chance.” Kaufmann said.
Rescue Hits Close to Home for Nixon
Nixon has worked with the St. Bernard Parish Fire Department for about two years. But this rescue meant something deeply personal to him. His niece Everleigh drowned in a pool five months earlier on April 1. Nixon carried that loss with him every day.
“She drowned in a pool. And I remember, every single day, saying I wish I could just grab her and pick her up,” Nixon said. “And I feel like in that moment, God and Everleigh were with me and helped me lift the driver up out of that car.”
The woman was airlifted to a hospital in New Orleans. She is recovering. Nixon cut his hands while breaking through the windshield. But the rescue gave him something he desperately needed.
“It helped me a lot. It definitely did. I needed that,” he said. “It just felt good to actually save somebody.”
God Turns Pain into Purpose
This story shows us how God can turn our deepest pain into purpose. Nixon couldn’t save Everleigh, but he saved another family from losing someone they love.
Please pray for the woman’s full recovery and for continued healing for Nixon and his family.
WATCH: Off-Duty Firefighter Saves Woman Seconds Before Car Explodes in Flames
