We drove down to Layton last Saturday looking for a new hunting rifle for Bryan for graduation and had a crazy experience on the way home. We had just come out of the canyon into cache valley on the highway and saw a bunch of cars slowing down and pulling over ahead of us. We could see a little truck off to the right on it's side and a bunch of people were running over to see if they could help. Bryan slowly pulled over and I told him he should go help. I'm sure by that point he had already decided to help anyway knowing Bryan. He ran over and I pulled my camera out and starting taking a video. I honestly was thinking about how cool it was that so many people stopped to help and see what they could to for the people inside when they didn't even know who they were. I couldn't really tell what was going on but Bryan filled me in later (he is in the yellow). There was a cop holding the door open on the vehicle and a guy that went around to the other side looking in. The passenger was a lady who was spanish and couldn't tell them what was wrong. She was hanging by her seatbelt because she was up in the air and looked pale as a ghost Bryan said. She pointed to her neck and Bryan asked her if she was choking but doing the choking sign. She nodded yes and he said to the cop that I think we should get her out of there. They must have already be thinking that because the guy coming around the other side already had a knife pulled out. Bryan, because he is so tall and long, volunteered to hold her up while the other guy cut her out and everyone else would help pull her out once she was cut free. After they got the top of the seat belt off she took this big breath and they cut the bottom and Bryan lifted her up enough to get everyone else to help lift her to the ground. The got some blankets under her and put a blanket under her head then Bryan ran back to help the husband. He was able with just a little help to get himself out and was walking around telling everyone he was fine and thanks you. Bryan then went and sat by the lady who was holding his hand and telling him thank you (about the only English thing she could say.) some other people ran and got her some water and tried to make her comfortable as possible. Not long after the ambulance arrived and the husband and wife both gave Bryan a really big hug to say thanks. It really shook Bryan up! He was so worried running up to the car that there were going to be body parts or a person dead or something. I don't know why I didn't think about that when I took the video. My boys did obviously because you can hear Tyson say in the video "are they dead?" Oh geezs.
Today I was reading on the news station website and people were commenting on the story. Holy cow people are MEAN! They were saying crap how we just wanted attention and they really attacked me! They said what was I doing taking a video instead of helping and I should have been on the phone to 911 instead of taking a video on my cell phone. (Jokes on them, I don't even own my own cell phone! I was actually using a camera.) I have to be honest it really, really hurt my feelings that that was there perception. The fact of the matter is I had all 4 kids in the car and wasn't about to leave a running car with a 6 year old in it or turn the car off in the 90+ degree heat to just go over and stand by all the people already helping. There was also, like I said before, a cop already there with his car in front of us so I knew he was getting more help there too. Good night people, before you get mean know what your talking about!
The coolest thing about all of this is the fact that I live in a amazing place! I would hope that if my family were in something like this we would have people stop and help and that is what touched me the most is that I know people would. I am so grateful for kind people who don't think of themselves and jump in to help. Including my hunk of a husband!
Story from KSL.com
WELLSVILLE — Two people trapped in their car after an accident in Northern Utah Saturday are thankful to a handful of civilians that they got out unharmed.
The two victims were not only trapped inside their car, but also being strangled by their seat belts. Their only way out was with the help Bryan Palmer and his wife.
They saw a car flipped on its side on Highway 91 in Wellsville on Saturday. A man and a woman were trapped inside.
"Adrenaline kicks in and you just start running," palmer said.
Related:
Couple crashes car in field, passersby rescue wife from car A couple was driving near Wellsville Saturday when their car rolled over into a field. According to witnesses who helped the couple, the woman in the passenger's seat was being strangled by her seat belt when they arrived. Bryan Palmer, who responded was able to cut the seat belt and free the woman from the car.
While Palmer ran to help his wife started taking this video with her cell phone. A number of people were already helping the victims, but Palmer noticed one big problem. "Her seat belt was holding her back."
One of the rescuers said he had a knife. The seat belt was cut And Palmer helped pull her out. Moments later, the other victim was also rescued. Both were uninjured.
In some people's eyes, this makes Palmer a hero - but not in his own. "For me to claim I'm any type of hero is not true," he said.
But what Palmer does see is the support of his own community and their willingness to help one another. He mentioned how often he sees car accidents and never actually pulls over on the side of the road to help, so to see ten or more people working together says a lot about the community.
"This gives me a great amount of pride and confidence that if something like this happened with my family that there are always people willing to jump in and help," He said.
