TAMPA, Fla.— A local doctor happened to be in the right place at the right time on Sunday.
He’s credited with helping free a dog whose leash got stuck between the closing doors of a moving elevator in Tampa.
The entire incident was captured on surveillance video.
On the video, Dr. Mohammad Awad can be seen entering the Olympus Apartments Harbour Island as the elevator doors began to close.
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In a matter of seconds, the elevator pulled the dog off the floor to the top of the doors.
"Literally seconds to death, I try with all of my might, boom, it finally breaks," recalls Awad. "The dog falls on the ground, I fall on the ground, we’re both in shock."
Awad and a woman with the dog can be seen on video frantically trying to get the collar off the dog to free it.
Awad told ABC Action News Reporter Ryan Smith he was returning home after working a seven-day shift at Sarasota Memorial Hospital.
The fatigue quickly disappeared as his life-saving instincts kicked in.
"The dog just got launched in the air and I just sprung into action," said Awad. "I'm just happy that I was there."
Awad says the dog wasn't injured and hopes to meet the pet and its owner soon.
"Harbour Island is a place of dog lovers, everybody has a dog so I’m sure I’ll run into that dog soon." he said.
