Firefighter Injured While Assisting After Crash Released From Hospital

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Surrounded by cheering co-workers and with a bandaged head, fracture bones and a hurt back, Miami Fire Fighter Javier Corrales is released from the hospital.

He was hurt over the weekend while helping others at an accident scene on I-95.

"I remember getting to the scene and I remember waking up in the trauma center," Corrales said. "I don't remember anything that happened during the accident."

What Corrales does not remember is while working the scene, another car lost control, hitting him, a co-worker and a fire truck.

James Villa, a student at Christopher Columbus high school was killed.

That death, along with his own injuries, had made it tough on Corrales.

"It's hard to be away from home and it's hard to hear all the stories," he said.   "I also learned that somebody lost their life and I'm very sorry for that, just putting it all together it's kind of tough."

It's been hard on Corrales wife Yuliet and the family too.

"Obviously it's something very hard, difficult to go through when you get a phone call at 3 o'clock in themorning saying something has happened to your husband," said Yuliet.

She's grateful for all the support and that her husband is going home.

"Every day you pray and hope that he's going to come home and that he'd doing to be okay," she said.  "It's what he chose to do and I support him, but obviously you always have it in the back of your head that one day something might happen."

Corrales is thankful he'll be able to work again, and even more thankful for the men and women who've been looking out for him and his family.

"This fire department, just watching the guys come and being there for me, there's nothing like the brotherhood of this fire department, there's nothing like it," Corrales said.