TWO RIVERS — Paul Sullivan and his wife were traveling along I-94 in Racine County on Wednesday when they were caught in a chain-reaction crash that claimed two lives. Their RV was just feet away from the accident and flames.
"We are alive today only by the length of a semi. It could have been 30 seconds sooner and we would have been gone," Sullivan said.
Sullivan pulled his RV onto the shoulder, grabbed a fire extinguisher, and ran towards the flames to see if he could help anyone in need.
"I spent 22 years in the service, and you run to help people you don’t run away," said Sullivan.
Paul and two others were caught on dramatic video carrying a young gentleman named Kelvin Yde to safety.
"When I got to them, they said just help us, and I kept pulling him back. I asked was anyone else in the car? They said no," said Sullivan.
Yde is in the hospital recovering from his injuries but posted a message of gratitude on Facebook to the people who helped saved his life.
Sullivan said he is not the hero, and instead, he believes the credit should go to a man named Justice. He helped pull a woman to safety and risked his life running towards the fully engulfed vehicle to get Yde out from the burning car.
"I was proud of him. He was so brave to do what he did. I said, you’re the hero. You saved a lot of people’s lives today by doing what he did," said Sullivan.
Sullivan feels grateful to be alive and said the emotions from the traumatic crash are still raw.
"Just praying for his health and I wish him all the best. I'm glad he's alive," Sullivan said.
He hopes this incident will help remind people to do the right thing and help others.
