In an instant, Henry Temmermans’ evening commute went from mundane to extraordinary.
Henry was driving on highway A28 in Nunspeet, the Netherlands, when he saw a car driving erratically. The vehicle veered off the road at one point, bumping over a grassy area before returning to the street. Concerned, Henry pulled up alongside the car and peered inside.
“What I saw was not good,” Henry said. “It was clear that the lady was no longer conscious. I saw that the guardrail wouldn’t stop her.”
Realizing her car would continue to move unless something stopped it, Henry decided to do the unthinkable: He accelerated and put his own vehicle directly in her path. Even though she would crash into him, he knew the driver inside needed help, and the only way to provide it was by stopping the car.
“I didn’t hesitate for a moment,” he added. “I had to do something.”
A driver behind Henry happened to have a dashboard camera rolling, and he captured the moment when Henry used his car to save the day. The dramatic footage is nerve-wracking, to say the least!
Once the car was stopped, Henry and the man behind him immediately jumped out of their vehicles and rushed to help the victim behind the wheel. They called for help and attempted to wake the unconscious woman up. It took several minutes before she came around, and then she was taken to a hospital. She had five broken ribs from the accident, but it could have been so much worse if Henry hadn’t intervened!
Henry’s car had to be towed from the scene, so the other Good Samaritan drove him home. A few days later, Henry received a phone call from the woman’s husband and daughter to thank him for being the hero she needed during her medical emergency. “They were very grateful to me,” he said.
Even though he saved a life, Henry demurs when people call him a hero. “I see it on social media. People say they are proud of me, call me a hero. But I don’t see myself that way,” he explained. “You are obliged to help people in need. I did what I had to do. That others that maybe wouldn’t is up to them.”
Thank goodness Henry was in the right place at the right time to prevent a deadly accident! We’re grateful for heroes (yes, Henry, you’re a hero!) like this who don’t hesitate to risk their own safety to help others.
Share this story to thank Henry for making a stranger’s life his priority.
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