When a medical emergency struck a driver on a Washington highway, leaving her unconscious with her young child in the backseat, a passing motorist made a split-second decision that would save two lives. His heroic action involved using his own vehicle as a mobile barricade to bring the runaway SUV to a safe stop.
The dramatic rescue unfolded on Interstate 5 in Fife, where a white SUV began weaving erratically across three lanes of traffic. The vehicle repeatedly collided with the concrete barrier as it continued moving forward without control.
A dangerous situation unfolds
A driver from Roy, traveling in his Kia Forte, witnessed the SUV’s erratic movements and approached to investigate. What he discovered was alarming: the female driver had collapsed over the steering wheel, her eyes rolled back, clearly experiencing a serious medical crisis. In the rear seat, a young boy sat strapped in his child seat, visibly frightened by the unfolding emergency.
Faced with this life-threatening situation, the good Samaritan knew immediate action was required. He maneuvered his Kia Forte into position, carefully placing his back tire against the SUV’s front fender. Using his own vehicle to guide the out-of-control SUV, he gradually pushed it against the barrier until both vehicles came to a complete stop.
Acting without hesitation
“It was something I didn’t even really think about. I just did it,” the rescuer later explained. Once the SUV was stopped, he quickly exited his car, put the woman’s vehicle in park, and safely removed the frightened child before emergency responders arrived on scene.
The timing of the incident added an ironic twist to the story. The hero was actually running late to collect his wife’s birthday cake when he encountered the emergency. He took photographs of the damage to his vehicle—deep scratches and dents from the rescue maneuver—to explain his delay and the condition of his car. With characteristic humor, he remarked, “I like to tell people it’ll buff out.”
Divine timing and purpose
The rescuer attributed his presence at that exact moment to divine intervention. “God put me there to do that,” he stated. He elaborated on his decision to act: “You get so many opportunities to do things for other people. But we’re so busy, you know, all we got to go to work, got to do this, you know, and you pass by and you’re like, oh, man, I should have helped that person. This was not going to be that case, you know what I mean? It was going to happen. I needed to stop this vehicle no matter what.”
Following the rescue, the hero’s family established an online fundraiser to help cover the repair expenses for his damaged Kia Forte, allowing others to contribute to supporting someone who put himself at risk to help strangers in need.
The incident serves as a powerful reminder of the biblical principle found in Galatians 6:2: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
