Good Samaritan risks his life to rescue motorcyclist after fiery crash in Riverside
David Pride watched in horror as a motorcyclist hit an overturned car shrouded by the darkness on the 91 Freeway in Riverside.
"He was right there, laid straight out in the middle of the floor," Pride said after the crash. "I barely missed him."
After slamming into the car, Pride said the motorcyclist flew through the air and landed right in the middle of oncoming traffic as car after car narrowly avoided running him over. When another car crashed and exploded into flames, Pride knew that he had to do something to save the injured motorcyclist.
"At that point, I'm like 'God wants you to live, let me go get you,'" he said. "[God's] gonna make sure I'm okay if I go out and get you."
Pride risked his own life by running onto the freeway, which was barely lit up by the flaming car, to drag a total stranger to safety.
"Not only was it pulling him out of the street and avoiding cars [but] the ground was very slippery with oil and gas," he said. "I just had to do it."
The gravity of what Pride did out on the 91 Freeway was not wasted on David Le, the man that he saved.
"David, I really want to thank you for doing what you did out there," Le said in a video sent to Pride. "Put your life on the line by pulling me out of the road. I really appreciate it."
Miraculously, Le survived the crash with only a fractured wrist thanks to Pride's efforts.
Unconcerned with being called a hero, Pride said he hopes this story teaches people a lesson about answering a call for help.
"I'm trying to encourage other people to help people when they see car accidents — help people get out the way," he said. "And be careful when you're in a dark area going up freeways."
Pride also helped the man whose car burst into flames, making a tourniquet out of stuff he had in the back of his car and putting it on his arm.
