MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. — The Patrick Air Force Base staff sergeant hauled away in an ambulance after trying to save a truck driver's life on Monday in Merritt Island is sharing his experience.

Staff Sgt. Cole Moon recalls how he tried to save the driver

RELATED: Witness: Patrick Airman Tried to Save Dump Truck Driver

"I went to the door and the smoke … the whole time it's just the black smoke was pouring out and I could hear him. I could hear him screaming for help. Flames were blowing so hard even as I sprayed the fire with the extinguisher the foam wasn't even touching the flames," said Staff Sgt. Cole Moon.

Despite Moon's heroic efforts, the driver died.

Moon talked about the moments he will never forget after a dump truck filled with asphalt lost control on the Pineda Causeway after a tire tread separated causing the crash, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Moments later, Moon was driving over the causeway in the opposite direction, heading to Patrick Air Force Base when he saw flames, so he pulled over, jumped the guardrail and then ran across two lanes of traffic to try and save the man.

Moon was not thinking twice about risking his own life.

"I thought I saw a hand and somebody reaching for help and at that time is when the gas tank exploded and when that happened my ears were ringing and everything kind of slowed down and the wind shifted and pouring the smoke into my face," he said.

After the adrenaline wore out, he was hospitalized for smoke inhalation.

"That's when I started having trouble breathing. You can still hear my voice is very raspy," he said.

Vietnam veteran Skip Waddell says he was about three cars behind the dump truck and saw it unfold. He says the Air Force sergeant did everything he could to save the driver of the truck, but ultimately, the driver perished.

The airman "took the little fire extinguisher he had, he crawled on top of the truck to get the driver out, but the driver was pinned in, and (he) couldn't get him out," Waddell said.

Even though he did everything he could to save the man's life, Moon is visibly sad and has a message for the family.

"Losing a loved one is something you can never prepare for, and I want to say I'm truly sorry for your loss and I wish there was more that could have been done and I wish this were a happy story instead of the one that it is," Moon expressed.

He told Spectrum News 13 he wanted to join the military since he was 16 years old but was too young and he joined 10 years later because he knew serving the country and people is something he was born to do.​