Man in crash feels 'guilty' for firefighter death

NEW YORK (AP) -- A driver involved in a wreck that led to the death of a New York City firefighter says he's praying for the rescuer's family.

Correction Officer Travis Simms was driving to work Sunday night when he hit a slick patch and his vehicle rolled over on Brooklyn's Mill Basin Bridge.

Firefighter Steven Pollard fell about 50 feet while trying to cross a gap between the bridge's two spans to help him. Simms tells the New York Post that several firefighters made it across the space. Two freed him from his vehicle while others rushed to help Pollard.

"I just heard, `Oh my God! Oh my God! Firefighter fell, he fell through, he fell through,"' Simms said. "One of the firefighters said, `You know, this is not your fault,"' Simms said. "I just immediately felt guilty."

Simms, a father of 3-year-old twins, escaped the crash with minor injuries. He wants to attend the firefighter's funeral. "Pollard, he's my hero," said Simms.

"I have to tell to him thank you, say my final goodbye," Simms said. "Because at the end of the day he made the ultimate sacrifice to make sure that I was all right."