A South Carolina State University football player came to the rescue of three children following a three-vehicle accident Saturday morning.
WTOC reported Monday that junior defensive end Reggie Owens was an integral part of the efforts following the accident at the intersection of West Gwinnett Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard around 1:30 a.m. Saturday. Georgia State Patrol said the car of Frederick Cobbs, who later failed a sobriety test, ran a red light and struck the car of Ericka Griffin, which spun through the intersection and hit another vehicle.
At least two of Griffin's three children were thrown from their car.
Owens, from Statesboro, was traveling back home from South Carolina State for the holiday weekend, when he witnessed the accident. Messiah Griffin, 2, suffered a severe cut near his eye, while Dontrell Griffin, 8, came to rest under a car with a broken arm, and Charles James, 5, suffered cuts.
"I stopped; I was the first on the scene," Owens told WTOC. "I rushed out to make sure everyone was OK. As I approached the cars, I saw one child that fell from under the car. I had to pull him from under the car to keep him from being run over.
"I thought, 'This is bad,'" Owens added. "I immediately had somebody tend to him. I had a shirt; I took my shirt off. I plugged his wound. I had to stop the bleeding; he was bleeding profusely. I knew I couldn't move the bodies, but I could at least stop the bleeding."
Ericka and Sharkia Griffin were treated for concussions. Messiah Griffin required reconstructive facial surgery on Monday.
Owens collected 33 tackles and 4.5 sacks for South Carolina State last season. The Bulldogs earned a share of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
[SportsNetwork.com]
