TUCSON, Ariz. — Saving the life of a young single mom, after she was in a near-deadly car accident. Tucson man, Antonio Rivera, moved her car - with his car - to safety.
August 12, Rivera witnessed in a car accident as it happened. He was on his way to meet a work client, when he saw that accident near River and Craycroft by The Gregory School.
“Right next to me, I noticed she was driving. It's a little Prius and all of a sudden she got up and sped up in front of me and it hit the car in front of me. I was like, Whoa, what happened? And I noticed that the car got hooked on the truck in front of me,” said Rivera.
He said as the woman’s Prius continued moving forward, her car detached from the truck in front of her.
“And I looked over and I saw the lady driving unconscious. Like her head was tilted back and you can see foam coming out of her mouth. And you know, I was already going to stop and I saw her car and just crossing the median. I'm going towards the incoming traffic, and I don't even think about it,” said Rivera.
Rivera said he quickly drove in front of the car, hit it and pushed it out of the way of the oncoming traffic.
The woman was said to be having a seizure.
“I got out of my car. Funny enough, my first reaction when I opened her door was where's my mask. I check her pulse and I was trying to know just to get her back so she can get some air, basic CPR stuff,” said Rivera.
Paramedics and law enforcement arrived shortly after. Rivera hasn’t been in contact with the woman he helped save, but says a Tucson Police officer did update him on her condition a month later.
“I haven't been able to connect with her, but I'm just happy that she's okay. I'm happy that she's alive and happy that she is with her kid. You know, I got, my mom is a single mom, so, you know, just that, you know, it makes me feel very... good. It makes me feel very blessed,” said Rivera.
Rivera is a Purple Heart recipient, having served two tours in Iraq for a total of about three years. His quick thinking led to no injuries from the accident and only damages to the vehicles.
“You know, I didn't do it to seek recognition or anything like that, but I'm proud of it because my, my two boys are going to be able to see that. And they're going to be able to see that you got to help anybody no matter what, no matter what you do,” said Rivera.
The Tucson Police Department is recognizing Rivera’s bravery with a ceremony at the station in honor of him Nov. 13 at 10AM.
