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It was two months ago today when a fiery car wreck left a 5-year-old girl dead and her 3-year-old brother seriously hurt.
The driver, the children's father, was arrested last week for DUI manslaughter, accused of being more than three times over the legal drinking limit.
That night, a courageous bystander jumped into action, enduring serious burns as he desperately tried to save both children.
In the days that followed, he became a pillar of support for their mother, and he, in turn, found strength in her.
Now, the pair tell 10 Tampa Bay they're family.
"I'm glad I was able to save Walker, but I wouldn't wish what I had to see of the decisions I had to make on anyone else's life," AJ Slater said.
AJ Slater may be Logan Deines' guardian angel — a bystander who pulled her son Walker from a burning wreck and did all he could to save her daughter, JoLynn, trapped in her car seat.
"I just started talking to her and I said, 'It's ok baby,' I said, 'I'm going to get you out, it's ok,' and at that time, the roof just dropped down on my hands," AJ recalled.
AJ received multiple surgeries for his burns, and as he recovered, he received a visit from Logan in the hospital.
Logan Deines said, "I just wanted to hug him and say thank you and as soon as I did he said, 'I'm so sorry.'"
AJ explained, "My family was out of town, out of state, and she basically came in and picked me up and became my family instantly."
Since then, the pair said they've spoken daily and leaned on each other as they recover emotionally and physically.
It's a bond that, over the last few months, has extended to 3-year-old Walker.
MORE: https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/polkcounty/man-pulls-3-year-old-form-burning-car-florida/67-fafe593c-afb1-4f4d-bb9f-b3fbff75df76