Barefoot hero wades into Hurricane Francine to save Louisiana man trapped in car during live TV broadcast

A barefoot hero risked his life to save a Louisiana man trapped in his car during disastrous flooding caused by Hurricane Francine.

At about 8:45 p.m. Wednesday night, Miles Crawford, an emergency room nurse at University Medical Center in New Orleans, was caught in the storm when he saw a pickup truck driver quickly sinking into deep water.

During a live broadcast on TV, the Good Samaritan did not hesitate to save the unknown man. He ran back to his house to get a hammer and free the driver.

Video captured the heroic moment when Crawford dived into hundreds of feet of water before emergency responders could help the driver trapped in the Canal Street Tunnel.

Crawford said WDSU Reporter Jonah Gilmore: ‘I just had to go out there and do it. I’m a nurse, so I’m supposed to save lives, right?’

The incredible clip began with the station filming the car nearly submerged in water, which somehow managed to get back onto the road despite the ‘area being cordoned off’.

As Gilmore described the intense moment, Crawford, dressed in a gray trench coat, walked into the frame, took off his shoes and immediately ran to the driver.

The nurse walked into the water with a hammer in his right hand while jumping over a railing near the pickup truck.

After climbing over the pole, Crawford immediately struck the car window with the hammer to free the driver.

Moments later, the driver, wearing a brown jacket and baseball cap, climbed out of the backseat window and fell into the water as Crawford picked him up.

The two then made their way to shore, with Crawford placing the man on the railing as he jumped to the other side.

Firefighters then ran to them and helped bring the men safely to shore.

Crawford was questioned by Gilmore after the rescue, while the driver spoke to firefighters and police at the scene.

Shortly after the rescue, Gilmore returned to Crawford to talk to him about the intense moment.

“I was just watching on TV and I saw the police car there, and I saw it driving back, and I saw you with the red jacket. I was just kind of interested in what was going on,” he told the outlet.

He explained that working in a stressful job helped him prepare for the moment.

“I’m used to a high level of stress, a high level of stress, you know, every day,” he said.

When Crawford quickly pulled the man out of the water after freeing him from the car, he said he “just didn’t want him to go under the water or anything, I didn’t know if he was going to get sucked in.”

He noted that as he walked up to the car window he saw the driver “looking for things,” but he quickly let him know that he didn’t have time for that.

‘We [nurses] “I do this every day, so it’s not a big deal… I think it’s a big deal, but it’s nothing special, so to speak,” he added.

People quickly praised Crawford for his quick thinking and courage, and his brother Hunter shared his pride on Facebook.

“My brother is out here saving lives on his day off!” Hunter said.

Strangers also praised Crawford for his courage, with one saying, “Wow! This man is a blessing to have done what he did!”

“You deserve a medal. I hope you’re there when I need help,” wrote another.

A third person said: ‘Wow, unbelievable… Miles Crawford, a real hero!’

After being rescued, the driver was checked out by EMS, Gilmore said. His condition is unclear.

Hurricane Francine battered Louisiana on Wednesday with winds of up to 100 mph (160 kph), causing flooding and chaos, and leaving hundreds of thousands without power.

The “life-threatening” storm first hit Terrebonne Parish as a Category 2 hurricane at 5 p.m. Wednesday, battering the area with high winds and devastating storm surge.

The storm has since weakened to a tropical storm with winds of up to 35 mph (56 km/h) this morning.

The center of the powerful storm has now moved south into Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, dropping massive amounts of rain and leaving 14 million people under flood warnings.