‘Ball of sparks’ as the car fires on the Dames Point bridge

JACKSONVILLE, Florida. – He described it as a “ball of sparks”.

A Jacksonville City Council member is among the witnesses to a weekend accident on the Dames Point Bridge that caused a car to fall over the bridge.

It ended with a dramatic rescue with firefighters pulling the driver of the car to safety on the St. Johns River.

For district councilor 2 Al Ferraro and his wife, Saturday night was not another trip.

“Before we got to the bridge, she was saying, how many people fell off the bridge?” he remembered. “I was telling her, don’t worry about it. It’s safe.”

But conditions at the time were worrying because of heavy rain and thick fog. Moments later, they saw a crash.

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“We just saw what looks like a ball of sparks going off to the side,” said Ferraro. “And it went into the water. We had one of the streetlights that landed in front of our truck. “

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a high-speed vehicle hit a 27-year-old man’s car from behind, causing the 27-year-old car to cross the bridge’s edge.

Ferraro said the car appeared to have been lifted over the other vehicle on impact.

“I have always been concerned about the safety of the bridge,” he said, noting that there are reports of debris piling up.

Ferraro called 911, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department got there in minutes, leading to a rescue in which firefighters used a ladder and ropes to lower and lift the 27-year-old man, pulling him out of the roof of his submerged car.

PHOTO GALLERY: Dames Point Rescue

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“We don’t hesitate at all,” said JFRD chief Kris Jolly, on “The Morning Show” at 9 am on Tuesday. “We went straight to work and knew what we had to do and, luckily, everything went as planned.”

“The FHP and JSO were already there and had a launch rope holding it in place for us,” said captain Phillip Orelli of JFRD, who was the savior at the end of the rope. “We looked at each other and knew what we had to do.”