SUN PHOTO/TOM VAUGHT Adam Bouziane and Conner Bystrom revived the driver of a car that crashed recently at Manatee County Beach.

By Tom Vaught
sun staff writer

HOLMES BEACH – Quick action by two young men may have saved lives after a car accident at a beach parking lot recently.

It all began when Adam Bouziane, 19, who lives in Myakka City but who grew up on the Island, and Conner Bystrom, 19, of Holmes Beach, were "hanging out" at Manatee County Public Beach on Sunday, March 25, around 10:45 p.m.

"We heard tires screeching and then we saw headlights shining in the air," Bouziane said. "We ran over to the roadway and saw a car had flipped and hit a tree. The motor was still running and I could smell gas so I reached in and shut off the ignition.

"We saw one guy still in the car, but he couldn’t get out because of his seat belt," Bouziane continued. "I was able to undo the belt and get him out."

Bouziane said he asked the passenger, identified as 21-year-old Nicolas Wyatt, of Holmes Beach, how many people had been in the car and he said two. Since there was nobody in the driver’s seat, they began searching for the second person. They found him about 15 feet from the car. Ronald J. Landon, 28, of Bradenton, had been ejected during the accident and was lying on the ground in critical condition.

"When we first got to him, he wasn’t breathing," Bouziane said. "I tried to revive him and when I slapped his face, he started breathing a little."

Bouziane said they tried to keep Landon still, in case he had back or neck injuries, and then he tried to communicate with him.

"I put by finger in his hand and told him to squeeze it," he said. "He didn’t do anything at first, then he squeezed it hard. You could tell he was in a lot of pain."

Bouziane said by that time, police were there and the ambulance was on its way.

"The policemen were just standing there, watching us do our thing," he said. "They had confidence in us and when the EMS guys got there, they took over."

Bouziane said the police officers told them they did a good job.