A3 + PLUS >> Company’s coming, Opinion/4A HOOPS HOOPS CHS to face Nease CHS vs. Forest in quarterfinals in district semis See Page 1B See Page 1B THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2019 | YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1874 | $1.00 Lake City Reporter LAKECITYREPORTER.COM FIERY US 90 CRASH Skin They grafts Friday risked Memorial service set for 9 a.m.: Civil War memo- rial service, Oaklawn lives, Cemetery special speaker, wreck recognition of veterans. Vendor Booths Open victim saved 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. down- town: Arts/Crafts/Food, Public Is hospitalized; big Service, Commercial rig driver cited for his Booths; Entertainment; improper U-turn. Kids Zone By COREY ARWOOD Two local men Official opening [email protected] recount pulling Noon: Official opening driver to safety. ceremonies for festival at A Lake City man awaits the first the Main Stage. Staff and rounds of skin grafts for burns local dignitaries invited. he suffered in a fiery wreck with By CARL MCKINNEY a semi-tractor trailer on East U.S. [email protected] Ironclads in action Highway 90 Tuesday night, his 5 p.m.: Battle between sister said. Wind howled through the wall the Monitor and the Dana W. Davis, 50, was on of fire stretching across U.S. Merrimac, and Civil War his way home from work in Highway 90 in front of the entrance Skirmish, at Lake Desoto. Jacksonville when his silver 2004 to Florida Gateway College, mak- Ford F-150 collided with a 2000 ing the conjoined wreckage of the Saturday Volvo semi with a haul of frozen CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter semi-truck and pickup bellow fire turkeys making a U-turn in front Dana W. Davis of Lake City is assessed by an emergency medi- to a chorus of “oh my God.” Fun run of United States Cold Storage. cal worker at the scene of a fiery wreck on U.S. 90 Tuesday. Burnt and bloody — but still alive — the driver from the silver 8:30 a.m.: Downtown. Lake City native Debra Ford was loaded into an ambu- Miertschin, who now lives out- what he knew all of his tests had arm and his torso that she said lance, witnesses said. Parade side Mobile, Alabama, said she come back fine.” extend from his chest to his When David met Goliath, the 10:30 a.m.: Annual had spoken with her broth- She said it was hard to tell upper thigh. fiery eruption shook nearby hous- parade beginning at South er, who called from his UF exactly how good of spirits Davis Little by little, she said she es and passing cars, alerting the Marion Street. Health Shands hospital room was in. learned more information about occupants inside. Some ran toward Wednesday morning. “He was very sedated,” Debra the wreck. the flames. Marshal, Miss Olustee “He sounded in good spirits to said. “I didn’t know anything about “He was going to burn alive,” Noon: Parade Marshal me. He wanted that neck brace He reportedly has second- and and Miss Olustee Festival off,” Miertschin said. “As far as third-degree burns covering an WRECK continued on 2A RISK continued on 2A on Downtown Main Stage. Pioneer Families 12:45 p.m.: Recognition SPECIAL GRAND JURY of Pioneer Families on DELIVERY downtown Main Stage. DeSantis calls Colors 8 a.m.: Presentation of Colors at Olustee for probe of Battlefield. school safety Medical demonstration 1 p.m.: Battlefield. By DARA KAM News Service of Florida Period music 2:30 p.m.: Period music On the eve of the one-year anniversary concert at battlefield. of Florida’s deadliest school shooting, Gov. Ron DeSantis asked the Florida Supreme Mini-Battle Court to empanel a statewide grand jury 3:30 p.m.: At battlefield. to investigate whether school districts are complying with mandatory safety mea- State park open Sat. from sures designed to protect students. 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Adults $12, DeSantis made the announcement children $6 (includes shut- COREY ARWOOD/Lake City Reporter Wednesday, flanked by family members tle from Dowling Center). Unit by unit, HVAC systems are hoisted atop the historic Blanche Hotel by crane for of the 17 Marjory Stoneman Douglas Preschool children free. Parker Services Air Conditioning and Heating. The effort was led by crew chief John Dye, Veterans free with ID. who readied the units for installation roof-side Tuesday. SAFETY continued on 2A Vol. 144, No. 229 CALL US: TODAY’S WEATHER Obituaries . 3A (386) 752-1293 Opinion . 4A SUBSCRIBE TO Sports . 1B STUDENT FOCUS THE REPORTER: 70 47 Meet Cardyr Bullard, 6A. Voice: 755-5445 Mostly sunny Advice & Comics . 3B Fax: 752-9400 President’s Day Sale going on now thru Feb. 25th! 461 SW Deputy J. Davis Lane, Lake City • 386-752-3910 • www.morrells.com 2A THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2019 LOCAL LAKE CITY REPORTER Men recount rescue effort QUICK HITS before being struck by the order, Dowda said. do, Dowda said. Scripture of the Day RISK Ford pickup. “It’s almost like a black- “We got him far enough “Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for Continued From 1A “It was like something out,” he said. “You got this away from the shrapnel,” out of a movie,” he said. strength and determination Dowda said. “Everything the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.” — Micah 7:7 (KJV) said Jorge Rodriguez, who “There was a small fire, but you don’t even recognize.” was exploding around us.” was walking his dogs with it just kept igniting and get- In the bed of the pick- Rodriguez said he car- his son when they saw ting bigger and bigger.” up, Rodriguez found a ried the leg while Dowda Thought for Today the crash. “I couldn’t walk After ordering his son reinforced metal rod and held the man’s shoulder. away from that.” back inside their house swung at the middle of “It all happened quick,” While he was struggling near the scene, Rodriguez the back window. It wasn’t Rodriguez said. Mistakes are the portals of discovery. to free the trapped driver, said he ran toward the working, as each blow just The man’s body was — James Joyce, 1882-1941, Irish novelist another man, Guenter wreckage. bounced off the glass. covered in burns and lacer- Dowda, He tried to open the door Then, he heard a voice. ations, Dowda said. rushed to to the pickup, but couldn’t “This guy told me I “Had lots of skin hang- his aid, grip the handle. wasn’t hitting it right,” ing off him,” Dowda said. Winning Lottery Numbers Rodriguez “The heat was unbear- Rodriguez said. “Got some of the guy’s skin said. able,” he said. Dowda knew that the that burned off on me,” he Pick 3: (Tuesday p.m.) 9-4-3 “If it Nearby, Dowda dashed window needed to be added. on toward the inferno struck in the corner where The man was conscious Pick 4: (Tuesday p.m.) 6-2-3-2 wouldn’t Fantasy 5: (Tuesday) 10-17-22-32-35 have been while his girlfriend, Teresa it’s structurally weaker – and coherent, they said, Dowda for us two, Raulerson, called 911 and first responders are taught and was able to give his he would screamed at the operator the same thing. name — Dana Davis. have died,” out of fear for her boy- “He showed me how “He was alive, but he was See an error? Dowda friend’s safety. A friend to hit it, and it broke,” on the edge of not making The Lake City Reporter corrects errors of fact in news said. had been giving Dowda a Rodriguez said. “And the it,” Dowda said. items. If you have a concern, question, or suggestion, Thick ride home when they felt fire was literally coming After getting home that please call the editor. Corrections and clarifications will smoke the force of the impact and inside by that time.” night, Dowda struggled run in this space. Thanks for reading. covered pulled over. If the wind had blown to sleep. He couldn’t stop the scene. “I couldn’t sit there — the wrong way, they all thinking about the shock- Rodriguez Combined he was burning to death,” would have died, Dowda waves that rippled out from Dowda said. “I started said. each explosion as they Submissions with The Lake City Reporter accepts photographs and caption seeing a man thrashing “Flames started flying tried to free the driver. the furious explosions information to run at the discretion of the editor. If you would around in there, and the everywhere, stuff was just “It was like being kicked described by witnesses, like to see your organization in the newspaper, send the picture flames were all around him blowing up all around us,” by a mule,” he said. “I’ve it’s unclear whether others and information to Robert Bridges: rbridges@lakecityreporter. — and I guess my adrena- he said. “Shrapnel flying all only seen things on TV like could have been assisting com. in the rescue without them line kicked in. I knew what around us.” that — movies and stuff. I noticing. had to be done, and it had The two rescuers talked to one of my friends Rodriguez and his son to be done immediately.” screamed at each other — a Vietnam vet — and he Lake City Reporter were walking two of their It felt as if his own legs trying to figure out how to said, ‘yeah, that’s what it’s four dogs when they saw were acting without waiting pull the driver out, which like when the land mines HOW TO REACH US BUSINESS ..........