JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Amber Williams says the conversation was about dreams of a new home. It was a talk at a red light that marked her sister’s visit coming to an end.
She said it was a quiet drive down Old Middleburg Road on Sunday night.
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Then everything changed.
“We just heard a loud boom,” Williams recalled. “I just went unconscious.”
What began as a carjacking turned into a police chase and spiraled into a fiery crash, with Williams trapped in her burning car. The suspect, fleeing police with a 1-year-old child in the vehicle, had slammed into Williams’ car.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: VIDEO: JSO officer’s quick action rescues woman, 1-year-old from fiery carjacking crash
Body camera footage captured the desperate moments that followed, as Jacksonville Sheriff’s Officer Almin Residovic raced against time.
“Stay with me, stay with me,” Residovic can be heard saying as he pulled Williams from the flames.
“I think me and you probably wouldn’t even be talking right now,” Williams told News4JAX, reflecting on the officer’s actions. “Honestly, I probably wouldn’t even be here if he didn’t do the things that he did.”
For Williams, a mother of two, including a two-week-old baby, the path to recovery has been marked by constant reminders of that night. After being rushed to the burn unit in Gainesville, she’s now back home in Jacksonville, but daily life has become a series of challenges.
Simple tasks like standing and walking are difficult hurdles.
“Not having transportation. I just had a baby. I have all these upcoming appointments and also with my face,” Williams said. “I don’t even like looking at myself. I can’t recognize myself anymore. It’s painful. I can’t go to sleep at night. I’m just up with severe headaches.”
“It has been hell, honestly.”
Yet through the physical pain and emotional trauma, Williams has found strength in the eyes of her children – her 7-year-old and her newborn. She said their presence has become her anchor in the storm of recovery.
“They have been keeping me just with my head held high keeping me motivated and happy,” Williams said. “When those boys look at me and they still look at me as their mom. So I just thank God that I’m able to still see their little smiles.”
JSO said officers arrested the suspect, 34-year-old Richard Younger, at the crash scene. He is facing multiple felony charges, including:
• Carjacking
• Leaving the Scene of a Crash without Rendering Aid
• Aggravated Fleeing from Law Enforcement after a Crash
• False Imprisonment of a Child Under 13 Years of Age
“I want the young man to know that I forgive him,” Williams said. “We’re all human. I’m not sure what made him drive the car drastically like that that day, but I really do forgive him because everything happens for a reason.”
Her perspective extends beyond her own trauma to the child who was in the stolen vehicle.
“I honestly think maybe it was meant to happen,” she said about the car hitting her. “I’m not sure the toddler that young man had was even his child so maybe it was meant to happen so that way they could rescue the child.”
News of Williams’ story reached her former supervisor, Joe Haynick, in Michigan. The two worked together virtually for four years. After seeing the bodycam footage of her rescue, he immediately started a GoFundMe to help with her recovery.
“Literally my heart just fell out of my chest,” Haynick said. “It was just extremely painful and shocking to see that.”
The fundraiser aims to help Williams with medical expenses and transportation needs as she continues her recovery. Those interested in contributing can visit the GoFundMe page “Support Amber’s Recovery After Tragic Accident.”
“It’s not about how much people donate, it’s just the fact that they’re willing to give,” Haynick said. “Those little amounts roll into something pretty nice that’ll help Amber out.”