In a story making waves on social media, an Ohio woman is looking for the Good Samaritan who helped rescue her during a Nashville-area car accident 13 years ago.
According to the Tennessean, Maddie Williams has posted a public status to Facebook, which has been shared by thousands of people describing the man who helped save her following a vehicle accident in June 2002.
The accident occurred in Millersville, 15 miles outside of Nashville, when Williams’ family was traveling from Ohio to Texas. Their truck, a Toyota Tundra, was pulling a wheel camper when another vehicle struck it.
The crash resulted in heavy damage to the vehicle, killing Williams’ mother and seriously injuring her brother. A man witnessed the crash and helped her out of the damaged vehicle, wrapping a shirt around her, as Williams’ dad attempted to help other passengers.
Williams, now 18, said that she has always thought about the Good Samaritan and that she wanted to try to look for him. In November, she posted a public Facebook status update asking for help in finding the man.
“He played a very important role at a horrific moment, and I want to be able to thank him,” Williams wrote on Facebook. “Finding and thanking this man is something I’ve been wanting to do for years.”
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IF YOU WITNESS A VEHICLE ACCIDENT
It is wonderful when Good Samaritans can help following vehicle accidents. However, there are appropriate times to act and not to act. In this March blog, we discussed what you should do when you see a crash on the roadway.
If there are already emergency officials at the scene of an accident, it is probably a good idea to leave them alone. Additionally, if you are the first person at the scene of a crash, make sure you find a safe place to leave your vehicle, as it is not uncommon for Good Samaritans to be struck and killed on the side of roadways.
Make sure you evaluate any accident scene before you respond to a victim. You may hurt someone by removing him or her unnecessarily or violently from a vehicle. Also, make sure you contact emergency officials as quickly as possible.
Continue to read our blog for more driving safety tips. The winter is here, leading to harsher conditions, which can be difficult to drive in.
“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17