Yea, like GW said. I have a different definition of 'saved', than what I think the OP had in mind.
Don't know if I would consider this 'saving' someone, but I have helped several people that have been involved in serious accidents. Don't know what it is, but when most people are running away from disasters, I'm the guy running TO them. It's not a conscious thought. More of a gut reaction. No thinking involved. That comes later.
I've had quite a bit of first aid training, but that's not why I've done this. Even without that, I'd still probably still be one of the first to help. I'm certainly not an EMT. I don't do this with the thought of being praised. After stuff like this happens, I'd rather no-one knew. Most of the time, I don't even remember.
Once pulled my best friend out of an upside down Spitfire. (2 seat English sportscar) I had been the one driving.
Coming back from a day of skiing at Whistler, on the Squamish highway, which at that time, was considered the Pacific Coast Death Road. Raining so hard I had bought new wiper blades @ the gas station for the ride home.
Half way back, we were the 3rd car in a line of others, in the fast lane, on a corner. 60mph. A semi went past us and the wall of water that that truck sent up behind it caused our vehicle to start to surf. Crossed the slow lane, totally outa control, & hit the cement safety wall which threw us up onto the driver side. The passenger wheels caught on the top of the wall & we slid 150' on the side. The corner turned to the right. When we ran outa wall. the 'Spit' fell over onto the roof. We then went another 150' upside down, crossing 3 lanes, spinning on the roof, ending up on the other side of the road.
I had seen the wall coming. Buddy was sleeping. I shoved his head down between his knees. My hand ended up being between his head & the road. Lost most of the skin, the tendons, & the top 1/2 of the knuckles on 3 fingers.
When we on the side, my head had made contact with the road. Just missed my left eye, & almost lost my ear. Most of the hair on that side too.
After all the bashing & crashing had stopped, I says to buddy, way too calmly for the situation, "You OK?"
(buddy) "Yea, I think so."
(me) "Can you get out"
-"Can't open the door."
I crawl out. Boots I was wearing had come off (?) somehow. Hollering at Buddy, "Get out of the car."
"My door won't open"
I'm standing there, in the pouring rain, hardly seeing the car for (what I thought) was all the rain. It was actually my blood. Didn't realize that I was standing on the windshield that had been blown out, thinking, "No wonder we wiped out. This road is damn slippery!"
"CAN YOU GET OUT???"
"No."
I lterally dove back into the car through the driver's door. Grabbed Buddy's left arm with my (unknown to me) messed up right hand. I yanked him so hard outa that car that I dislocated his left shoulder & my right one. I'm tellin' you, I could of picked that car up right then & I was ready to. Pure adrenalin!
Someone with a van, grabbed us & drove us to the hospital, an hour away. Don't remember that.
Buddy didn't get a scratch! Not a mark! I ended up spending a couple of days in the hospital. Took them longer to get the glass out of my feet than to stitch me up. I've had 5 operations on my hand since. It's still f*cked. I learned how to do upholstery after this.
Done other stupid things too.
Ran into a house & pulled a drunk out of a smoked filled basement suite.
Couple of teens out of a vehicle that had passed me on the highway at extreme speed, then lost it, rolled into a ditch, which stopped them from going into the lake. Unsteady rocking vehicle, & I'm on my belly in the mud helping these kids out. Both in shock, bigtime. Kept them talking till the cops showed up. (Helps break the shock) Didn't tell them my name. Asked the cops if they needed anything from me. Nope. So I left.
Watched a co-worker falling off of a roof, headed for a pile of 45gal. drums on the ground. Didn't try to catch him. Just jumped between him & the barrels. Totally spontaneous. Again, no thinking involved. Ended up with a couple of broken ribs. He wasn't hurt.
Like I said. I don't know why I do this. I don't think of the consequences. It's just a reaction. The thinking comes later, & usually it's, "Damn, that was a stupid thing to do!"
No feelings hurt!
