TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa International Airport police officer was honored Friday for saving a life after a crash, then was given the ultimate surprise: meeting the man who’s life he saved.
TPA police officer Ryan Runge’s job is to protect others, so when he spotted a sign of trouble, there was no hesitation he needed to help.
“Sometimes we interact with people, and that interaction is either good, bad, and we have to leave an impression, and I’m glad this incident I was able to leave a life-saving impression,” said Runge.
Back in March, Officer Runge saw smoke at the intersection of Air Cargo Road and MLK Jr. Blvd. After investigating further, he discovered a crash and that the driver of the motorcycle was unresponsive.
Runge along with an off-duty nurse and off-duty EMT jumped into action and determined that the motorcyclist’s breathing was blocked.
"We were able to just turn him slightly to correct his airway, and that’s when he took a big deep breath in, and I was like oh man we’ve got him, so he’s here, he’s here with us now because before he wasn’t,” said Runge.
That was five months ago. On Friday, Runge received a Life Saving Award during a ceremony at Tampa International Airport, along with a special surprise: meeting the man he saved for the first time.
“I don’t know if you saw I was crying,” said Jarid Demarais, the motorcyclist in that crash. “I’ve been waiting to meet him for months. It’s been a long recovery, and I’m very lucky to be here.”
Demarais said he doesn’t remember the first two weeks after that day, but he’s happy to reunite with Runge.
“It’s wonderful, wonderful to finally meet him,” said Demarais. “You can probably see from the tears on the stage.”
Demarais said he’s doing well and that his body is healing. He explained he’s grateful to the people in his life who’ve helped him during his recovery.
“It really renews your faith in humanity, and it’s nice to see such good people in the world,” said Demarais.
