It’s generally true that we never really know what impact we have on each other’s lives. But sometimes, the actions we take at crucial times are so important that we find ourselves making the difference between life and death.
Most people don’t go about their daily routines with the expectation that they’ll have to save someone’s life before the day is out, but some have even gone as far as to sacrifice themselves when perilous situations are suddenly upon them.
RELATED STORIES
These brave souls are rightly remembered as heroes, but we can also find that some of those heroes still walk among us thanks to their own good luck and quick thinking.
And one such person is being lauded for the courage and imagination he showed when a fellow driver was in distress.
On November 19, a woman was trying to exit the A28 highway near Nunspeet, The Netherlands when her car lurched forward into the grassy area we see here.
This not only caught the attention of the unidentified driver who captured this footage, but another motorist named Henry Temmermans.
At first, Temmermans figured that the driver had simply missed her exit, but became concerned when the car wouldn’t stop going straight forward.
And when Temmermans pulled up next to the woman’s car, he could see that she was slumped over the steering wheel.
As he later told De Stentor , “That was awful to see.”
And considering how many times her car ends up back on the road and narrowly misses guard rails in the full video, it became clear that this woman’s emergency made her dangerous to herself and others.
Temmermans realized he had to bring her car to a stop, so he accelerated in front of her and stopped his own car, letting her run into it.
This ended up doing the trick and as the driver filming the incident pulled up behind them, Temmermans got out of his car and checked on the woman.
With that, he called for emergency services, who were able to both extract the woman from the scene and tow his car.
He and his wife then visited her after they got her contact information from the police.
As Temmermans put it, “Yes, she’s broken ribs and it’s painful, but she’s so grateful that I did what I did.”
And while he said he’s also been praised for his imagination, damaging the car he was driving in order to save the woman seemed to come naturally to him.
He also says he never considered the consequences the collision would have for him as he figured the company car he was driving can be repaired again.
In his words, “If you see someone in need, you have to help. It’s that simple. And luckily it ended well in the end.”
h/t: Ladbible , De Stentor
