Courage Amid Chaos: Good Samaritan Describes Rescue Of Other I-70 Driver
DENVER (CBS4) - A woman who was one of the 10 people injured in Thursday's fiery crash on Interstate 70 that killed four says she is alive thanks to the actions of other drivers. The crash happened when a semi truck lost control near the Colorado Mills shopping mall and led to a closure of the interstate that stretched into Friday evening.
Victim Leslie Maddox was still in the hospital on Friday and spoke with CBS News.
"I was stopped. Which meant someone would have to rear end me. But the whole front of my car was blown away, the glass was everywhere, all the airbags... and I was just there. Just... I did not know what happened at all," Maddox said.
Maddox says she was aided by two Good Samaritans. One of them, Meleia Harsch, is an EMT student at Red Rocks Community College.
"I look over and I just literally see her [Leslie's] car just... he's pushing her he's literally pushing her and she's literally just coming into my car and she just slams into my car," said Harsch.
Harsch was in the middle of the chaos when the semi came plowing through traffic. Maddox's car was pushed into hers and she watched the semi continue past her and burst into flames.
"My first thought was, who needs help?" said Harsch.
That's when she ran to Maddox to help her out. Maddox was in shock, bleeding with a broken arm.
"She was concerned about her arm and I'm like, your arm's broken but I'm like there's a fire I think it's gonna explode we gotta go. So (I) wrapped myself up around her and as we started walking away things started to explode."
Maddox said she likely would have died if not for Harsch.
"I would have sat there," she said. "I don't know if the flames engulfed my car or not. It was going under the bridge at that time. You know it's people like that, who run towards the fire and help other people ... I wouldn't have gotten out of the car myself. I was physically unable to and so dazed and I didn't know what happened."
Harsch says she is proud of the way she acted under the pressure but she doesn't consider herself a hero. She hopes others would've done the same.
"I just think you just reach out your hand a little bit and help because it really doesn't take that much," said Harsch.