Fox News rehabilitates Zimmerman with 'car crash truthers' report

Fox News on Tuesday extended a story about former neighborhood watchmen George Zimmerman's rescue of passengers in an overturned truck into a second day by taking on what they called "car crash truthers."

On Monday, the conservative network had broken into regular programming for a "Fox News Alert" that Zimmerman had emerged from hiding to help a family in a SUV that had rolled over at the intersection of I-4 and route 417 -- even though it had happened nearly a week earlier.

Fox News host Shannon Bream announced on Tuesday that the network had learned new details about the 9-1-1 call and "the emergence of a group of people being described as car crash truthers. You may not believe it, but maybe you will."

Fox News' Trace Gallagher reported that Zimmerman, who happened to have a fire extinguisher with him at the time, gave a statement to authorities and left the scene.

The network then played video of defense attorney Mark O'Mara explaining that rescuing people from cars was "not unusual" for Zimmerman.

"I've been extolling his virtues saying, the mentoring program with two children and living with two black children in a house when he was younger, this is just who he is," O'Mara insisted.

Gallagher contrasted that with video of an NAACP meeting at what appeared to be a predominately African-American church.

"There was a lot -- a lot of skepticism, people saying they don't believe a word of this," Gallagher reported. "And there's not a lot of love for George Zimmerman online either, where reaction has come from snarky to doubtful. One -- quote -- on Twitter saying, '#Zimmerman can pull someone from a burning car but he can't push a 17 year old 150 pound boy off of him.'"

Fox News gave Zimmerman's brother, Robert Zimmerman, the last word: "What if he hadn't stopped? What if he hadn't taken the time to help someone who obviously needed help getting out of the car?"

Watch this video from Fox News' America Live, broadcast July 23, 2013.