Man lifts vehicle to save FHP trooper

TAMPA, Fla. - Kenny Franklin's trip to work Thursday took an unexpected turn.

He requested an Uber driver, and he was off and running. Then, he says, his driver suffered a seizure while at the wheel on Interstate 4 near I-275.

"His foot is accelerating on the gas, and instantly, I'm in the back seat wondering, 'OK, my life is pretty much over at this point,'" explained Franklin.

He was able to safely get the car to the side of the road. Franklin says that's when the driver awoke in a panic.

"He didn't know where he was at, so he tried to put the car into a gear, and so he's fumbling with the car," said Franklin.

He jumped out of the car, and behind them was a Florida Highway Patrol trooper, Jack Hypes.

"He starts walking up towards me, to assist and assess the situation," explained Franklin. "As he does that, the driver mistakenly puts the car in reverse and hits the officer."

Hypes was pinned under the vehicle.

"Adrenaline was racing," said Franklin of his reaction to the situation. "Your heart, you know, is going a million miles an hour, and all you're thinking about at that time is this, this needs to end well."

With so much adrenaline, Franklin was able to lift the vehicle off of Hypes. He suffered non-life threatening injuries.

All three men involved will be OK. FHP commended Franklin, and some would even consider him a hero.

"Honestly, I was just somebody who was in a position to help, in the right place at the right time. I'm glad that, you know, I had something to do with lives being preserved."