Chiefland, FL : Firefighter was off duty when he stumbled across the scene of a crash on Monday September 15th 2014

A firefighter was off duty when he stumbled across the scene of a crash. "As a fireman that's what really do, so it's kind of like we never leave the station," said firefighter Chris Newton. Newton said about two weeks ago he had just gotten off his shift and traveled to Chiefland to visit family. He said he saw a horrible accident with a man lying in the middle of the road who had been riding a motorcycle before he was hit by a car on US 19. "He was not doing well at all. He was hurt very, very badly," said Newton. Newton said there was only one police officer with him on scene at the time so his first instinct was to jump in and take action. "I helped them as best I could manage the scene while they were trying to take care of this gentleman. I helped them get him on a back board and manage his airway," said Newton. Newton has been a paramedic and firefighter for more than 10 years. Netwon used his skills to take vitals, called for the trauma unit and waited for first responders. He said with little equipment and not much help he did what any other firefighter would do and would do it again. "I would do it given this same situation a hundred times. I'm going to do the same action a hundred times," said Newton. Action News checked with UF Health in Gainesville to see if the man was doing OK, but the hospital said he's no longer listed as a patient. Newton said Chiefland firefighters eventually responded to crash along with the Levy County Department of Public Safety. Newton said he is just thankful he was in the right place at the right time. Source : Firefighter manages crash solo