Miami-Dade County Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava recently presented a commendation to high school student Cristian Roldan for providing lifesaving care to a Miami-Dade County employee.
Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department maintenance repairer Ariel Mino is alive because a the 16-year-old young man watched Shark Week. On Feb. 1, while driving home after tutoring math students, Roldan stumbled upon an accident where he saw a man trapped underneath a car with a severed leg that was bleeding profusely.
Mino was in the process of picking up traffic cones near the intersection of SW 127th Avenue and 104th Street, after the department completed a portion of a sewer pipe evaluation. A driver crashed into him and pinned him between the driver’s car and the county truck.
Roldan, acting quickly, used his belt to make a temporary tourniquet. While he said it felt like forever, for five minutes Roldan had the presence of mind to remain calm. He used all his strength to apply pressure to the tourniquet and kept the victim’s leg elevated to reduce the bleeding prior to the arrival of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel.
Roldan credits watching the medical show Grey’s Anatomy, and seeing similar injuries on the show Shark Week, to give him the inspiration of how to help Mino in his time of need.
“I was just a tool to help my fellow man,” Roldan said. “I knew this man’s life was in my hands and because I saw he was in need, I stopped to help.”
Commissioner Levine Cava added, “Cristian is very modest, but we know he deserves much recognition for his heroic performance to help save a life. I am so proud to recognize this brave young man for his selfless act.”
