Robert Hooper, a 32-year-old tow truck driver, became a hero after saving a stranger’s life in what many are calling a miraculous coincidence.
Hooper was called out to help 69-year-old Janey Smith after her car died on the side of a country road after her gas pedal stopped working.
Smith called for a tow from Allstar Automotive & Tow. While Hooper loaded her car, Smith looked down the nearby hill and noticed what looked like a blue car.
Hooper told her to stay put and climbed down the steep hill to find a mangled old wreck with what looked like a dead body leaning outside the driver’s window. Hooper took another step closer and heard something that made his heart skip a beat. The seemingly lifeless body murmured “help,” and Hooper sprung into action.
Hooper tried to make the man more comfortable while Smith called 911. Minutes later paramedics arrived and rushed the injured driver to a hospital.
Completely hidden from other drivers on the road, it’s doubtful anyone would have seen the wreck or found the injured man before it was too late.
The injured driver was later identified as 23-year-old Steven Ackerman, a young husband and father. Ackerman’s family reported that he fell asleep at the wheel, crossed four lanes of traffic, and crashed in the deep ditch.