By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

A POLICE sergeant is being hailed as a hero after he risked his own safety to shield an injured jogger from traffic and ensure he got life-saving medical care following an accident on Milo Butler Highway last week.

Marine Seaman Yashua Cox, a Rangers Instructor with the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, was jogging along Milo Butler Highway around 7pm last Wednesday when he was struck by a silver coloured SUV.

Sergeant Arnold Nesbitt, Jr, a 35-year-old officer with 13 years of experience, witnessed the collision while driving on the highway and immediately sprang into action to help.

“As I looked ahead, I saw a young man running south along Sir Milo Butler Highway and a silver SUV, a rental vehicle, also travelling along Sir Milo Butler Highway, in the same direction as the young man,” he told The Tribune yesterday.

“Suddenly, he was struck by that vehicle. He hit the windshield, went up about six to 10 feet in the air before he hit the road surface and tumbled over several times,” Sgt Nesbitt recounted.

Acting quickly, Sgt Nesbitt positioned his vehicle to block oncoming traffic and protect Mr Cox, who lay injured in the roadway

“On seeing that, I went ahead and blocked the highway in front of the gentleman, so he wouldn’t be hit by any other oncoming traffic,” he said.

He also noticed that the SUV’s driver did not stop immediately, prompting him to enlist another motorist to help block the vehicle and prevent it from leaving. Improvising with a rock, he wrote down the licence plate number on the road.

After securing the scene, Sgt Nesbitt called emergency services and urged bystanders not to record videos out of respect for Mr Cox’s family.

“I am very happy that I instructed persons who were passing to not take out their cellphones because of the sensitivity of it. He was in a very rough state at the time, he was bleeding very much and they listened,” he added.

EMS arrived within 10 to 12 minutes, and Sgt Nesbitt remained on the scene, assisting EMS and contacting Mr Cox’s mother.

He recalled Mr Cox’s words in those critical moments, saying: “He was praying and he did pray, and he asked the Father to forgive him for anything he did wrong. And he also tell me to tell his mom how much he love her, just in case he does not make it.”

Mr Cox suffered critical injuries to his back, head, left arm, and legs, but thanks to the quick response of Sgt Nesbitt and EMS, his prognosis is hopeful. 

Reflecting on the incident, Sgt Nesbitt said: “It’s a human thing. When you see something, you do something. I feel good to know that I was able to assist.”

The Royal Bahamas Police Force praised Sgt Nesbitt’s heroic actions in a Facebook post earlier this week. The post gathered around 500 shares by press time.