‘You could tell something was really wrong’; good samaritan speaks out after saving teen in car accident

JACKSON COUNTY, Fla (WMBB)- A Georgia nurse is speaking out on her experience after saving a teen involved in a crash. On April 12, Tiffany Droze was driving back home to Georgia from Panama City Beach when she noticed someone on the side of the road. "He was like, super, like, distraught. You could tell like something was really wrong." Droze said. Turns out, it was a teenager who had just been involved in a car accident. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the car was going northbound on Highway 231 near Compass Lake Drive when it veered off the road and hit a tree. Two passengers were severely injured, with the front passenger pinned down by a tree that broke through a window. "He was in the front seat of the car. I went in through the back and I was trying to look over and where he was sitting in the passenger seat. And I could tell, you know, that there was a tree that was pinning him down on like on top of his leg." Droze said. This type of scene didn't faze Droze, who has over a decade of experience as a trauma and ICU nurse. "He couldn't go anywhere. And he was just pouring blood like gushing blood... I used to work in vascular, so I knew he was like his artery was severed right there. And I already knew that he was bleeding out...I just took that headrest upside down and pushed with both of my hands above his groin, above where the tree was on his leg...And I held pressure like that for like sideways through the console of the car," Droze said. First responders on the scene that day told News13 that if it wasn't for Droze, that teen would have bled out before they could even get to the scene. Droze said jumping into action was the easy part...understanding fate was a bit more difficult. "The after part really freaked me out because like, what if the drive through took 5 minutes longer? Then, you know, I feel like I really was in the right place at the right time. It's just the whole not been there. What would it have been like really? I think that part was like kind of overwhelming," Drozer said. Droze said she didn't think twice about helping and hopes others facing a similar situation do the same. "I just, I hope to God that you know, if something happened to me or to one of my kids, somebody would stop... it makes me think of it that way too," Droze said. " I just feel like you know, God wants him here for a reason," Highway Patrol Officials cannot release the victims' names, but were able to confirm they are alive and recovering. Droze said she's happy to hear all three teenagers are okay. She also has a request in case they'd like to thank her for her help. "My name is spelled Tiffany with a Y if he wants to name his firstborn kid after me. That would be great." Droze joked. All three teens are residents of the Atlanta, Georgia, metro area.