Hawaii’s Gov. Josh Green – who is also a doctor – stops with security detail after spotting overturned vehicle in lava field to treat the driver
- Hawaii’s governor used his experience as a physician to help a man trapped in an overturned vehicle Thursday – spotting the car on his way to a speaking event
- Josh Green, 53, was photographed on his hands and knees taking part in the rescue, which transpired off Waikoloa Road in Hawaii’s South Kohala District
- The winding road where the crash occurred has already sparked concern in the past from local community leaders, due to its high number of traffic accidents
Hawaii‘s governor used his experience as a physician to help a man trapped in an overturned vehicle in a lava field while on his way to a speaking event Thursday.
Josh Green, 53, was photographed on his hands and knees taking part in the impromptu rescue off Waikoloa Road in Hawaii’s South Kohala District.
The area where the crash occurred – a winding stretch between Queen Kaahumanu Highway and Waikoloa Village – has already sparked concern in the past over high number of traffic accidents.
Recounting the ordeal to local news outlets, Green described how he selflessly sprang into action within minutes of his bodyguards spotting the wreck – which he said occurred after the car was ‘launched about 50 to 60 feet’ in midair.
Revealing the man was still trapped in the vehicle at the time, Green – who spent years working in emergency rooms before becoming Hawaii’s ninth governor this past August – recalled how he and others removed ‘a lot’ of rock before they were able to free the man, and eventually walk him to an ambulance shortly after.
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‘He was upside down in a totally smashed up van,’ Green told Hawaii News Now of the driver, who has yet to be identified.
‘It appears he launched about 50 to 60 feet into the air and into the gulch, so his car was destroyed,’ the former physician added of how the crash occurred, and how he and others were on the scene well before any first-responders.
He recalled of the rescue that would ensue: ‘We were able to get him out through the front windshield, removed a lot of rock, and seven or eight citizens with me, we just pulled this guy out.’
The Democrat, who worked as emergency room doctor in rural parts of the state’s Big Island for more than four years, further remarked how the driver fortunately had been wearing a seatbelt – likely saving his life during the near-death experience.
‘Thank goodness he was seat belted in,’ the first-year governor commented.
He added that aside from a few cuts and bruises, in another stroke of good fortune, the driver miraculously appeared all right – and was able to walk with only a little help to an ambulance once first-responders arrived on the scene shortly thereafter.
A dramatic photo snapped at the scene shows that Green was one of two people to escort the victim to the emergency vehicle, making sure he was OK and responsive.
The man was then transported to a nearby hospital for treatment, though his condition has yet to be confirmed.
DailyMail.com has reached out to his office for comment on the crash and subsequent rescue.
That said, the traumatic experience did little to deter the veteran doctor for appearing at a blessing ceremony a few miles away at Waikoloa Solar and Storage Facility, as part of a pledge to move the state toward the eventual goal of running on 100% renewable energy.
His speech went on without a hitch, as news of his heroics at the time were still unknown.
‘We will continue to build on this work to accelerate the transition, create jobs and support a sustainable economy,’ he said of Hawaii’s push to be more green, shortly before his office shared photos of the rescue.
‘The positive impact the project will have on the environment and the community extends far beyond the next 25 years and we look forward to co-creating more transformative projects like this in the future.’
