Florida trooper tossed into the air by spinning, out-of-control car while investigating accident

HOBE SOUND, Florida -- A trooper in Florida was investigating a crash when a spinning, out-of-control car struck him and tossed him into the air.

The crash happened on I-95 in Hobe Sound, Florida.

Somehow, the trooper, Mithil Patel, 31, was able to push another man beside him out of the way just seconds before being hit himself.

Patel is currently at the hospital in critical condition.

Rony Bottex, the man Patel pushed to safety, said he's more grateful than words can express.

"What he did for me, he doesn't do it because he's a state trooper," Bottex told WPEC-TV. "He was there to protect a person he doesn't know. And I don't believe anybody would do the same."

His message for Patel?

"I want to be your family because you're a good person, with all my respect. It's not what you do, it's that's the way you are."

Watch Bottex's full message to the man he credits for saving his life.