Family thankful "incredibly brave" strangers lifted car off woman in Massachusetts
LAWRENCE - The family of a Lawrence floral shop owner who became trapped beneath her car while making a delivery Thursday is thanking the quick-thinking neighbors who rushed to help her when they heard her screams.
"She's a very strong woman with a very strong faith," said Zoa Rosario about her mother 73-year-old Zoa Mendez who remains in the hospital with bruises but no broken bones.
Group of neighbors lift car off woman
Video shows the good Samaritans rushing to the rescue on Bennington Street in Lawrence, lifting the vehicle and freeing her before she was rushed to the hospital.
"They are so incredibly brave, they responded so quickly, and we just thank them," said Rosario. "We're so lucky that they were, happened to be in the right place at the right time to help her."
Zoa Rosario now manages the Mendez Flowers shop her mother has owned for nearly 30 years on Broadway in Lawrence. But the retired Zoa Mendez, a mother of three and grandmother of three, still loves making flower deliveries herself, which is what she was doing on Thursday when police say she accidentally left the car in drive, it rolled back on her leg and trapped her.
Rosario says she is stunned by the video. "It was difficult to watch. It was just shocking, and I just thank God that there were people around to help her," she said.
Elvis Burgos, one of the humble neighbors, said it was the rush of the moment. "Who wouldn't do that you know it's first instinct. It's the first thing you think about," Burgos told WBZ-TV on scene.
"This is her passion"
The family hopes they can one day thank them personally, saying their mother is a devoted businesswoman who loves her community. "This is her passion; she loves to do this. She says for her it's not work every day when we try to scooch her out," said Rosario.
Her family says it's nothing short of a miracle that she was rescued with only minor injuries that may require rehab after her hospital stay. "Absolutely, yes. we truly believe that we know that," said Rosario who is confident her mother will be back serving the community once again.
