NFL player K.J. Osborn is being hailed as a hero after helping rescue a man trapped in a burning car, saving their life.
The incident occurred on Sunday (March 5) in Austin, Texas where Osborn, a wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings, traveled for his off-season training. The 25-year-old recently appeared on Fox & Friends to detail the experience, which came as a result of him being in the right place at the right time.
“Initially I started running to the fire with Abdul and then I started thinking for a second,” Osborn explained. “‘This car could blow up.’ We’re not sure what could happen with this vehicle. But my Uber driver, Abdul, we went right up to the car, he opened the passenger door. He was seeing if the driver was OK. We’re trying to see if he was alive and moving and things like that. And eventually we’re moving toward the car and back from the car because we don’t know if it would bust into more flames.”
Luckily, the operator of the vehicle was able to partially remove himself from the car to alert Osborn and other bystanders to come to his aide. “Eventually the driver was able to muster enough strength to move his upper body to the passenger seat and kind of be able to pull his arms out and ask for help,” the playmaker said. “And that’s when we all went down and we were able to pull him out. But we were still close to the car and we didn’t know whether it was going to blow up. I was able to pick him up and we were able to carry him 10-15 yards and we were able to get him out of that situation.”
When asked if he ever thought of the risk he was taking by assisting the man, Osborn says that his professional career or well-being wasn’t a priority and that the group’s sole focus was on ensuring the victim’s survival. “Football didn’t matter then,” he said. “We were trying to save a man’s life.”
The man is said to have sustained injuries to his ankle and mouth, but is in stable condition and recovering from the accident.
Osborn played football at Buffalo for three years before finishing his collegiate career at Miami as a graduate transfer. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft and has become a valuable contributor to the offense, finishing third on the team in receiving yards and touchdowns for the 2021 NFL season.
Wide receiver K.J. Osborn #17 of the Minnesota Vikings carries the ball after making a catch during the 1st quarter of the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on January 08, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois.
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