Wade Harper, Mayor of Antioch, a city in the San Francisco Bay Area, is being praised as a hero after his efforts earlier this month helped save a man suffering from serious injuries related to a high-speed crash with a work van on California’s Highway 4.
Harper, passing by the wreck after a city council meeting, noticed the smoking car and some slight motion from inside the vehicle and stepped into action, calling first responders and staying at the scene to comfort the man trapped inside the vehicle until help arrived.
“Lori Ogorchock was already on the phone with dispatch. I told her to tell them we need code 3 ambulances and the guy is pinned in the car. I said we need a fire extinguisher which someone from the community brought to the scene. Firefighters and police did much more than I did. I just assisted and I waited to talk the victim through it who was in and out of consciousness….As someone in law enforcement for 24 years, I stepped into action and tried to assist where I could until others arrived,” said Harper.
The driver, who Harper helped keep conscious until first responders arrived, was driving his pickup truck at a high rate of speed when he side-swiped a city council woman’s car, sending him into the rear of a construction truck occupied by two men. The driver hit the construction truck so hard that the front end of his pickup truck became wedged into the back of the vehicle.
“My first thought was…call an ambulance, make sure they’re breathing, make sure they’re okay. That just kicked in right away” said Harper. Turns out his instincts were correct, and his actions helped save both the driver and the two men in the construction truck, who survived and were taken to the hospital for additional treatment.
Mayor Harper’s actions help remind us of the value and importance of being a Good Samaritan, and lending a hand to members of our community in need. Step in and take action. We can all make a difference, and sometimes even save a life.
