There are a million reasons why someone might experience homelessness, and in some cases, the homeless have family members who are looking for them, ready and willing to help them get back on their feet.
That is certainly the truth for Johnny Walker of Houston, Texas. Johnny has been living on the streets since 2006, but until recently he always checked in with his family from time to time to let them know he was okay.
But three months ago, Johnny stopped checking in. His family feared the worst, especially when they were told that he may have been involved in a fatal stabbing. Johnny’s sister, Monica Collins, says they started searching for Johnny in hospitals and morgues all around the area, but her brother seemed to have disappeared into thin air.
Then, by chance, they happened to catch a story on the evening news about a Good Samaritan who had leapt into action to save a deputy sheriff from a fiery car crash. As soon as they saw the man’s face, they knew it was Johnny!
Monica and other family members rushed to the area where the accident occurred. They found him right away, and immediately did what they could to support him. They quickly realized that Johnny wasn’t looking for praise for helping save a life – in fact, he was morose that a woman had died in the same accident and he wasn’t able to help her.
The accident took place outside of a CVS in the city. A Harris County Sheriff’s deputy responded to a call about an aggravated robbery, and, while pursuing the suspect, he was involved in a multi-vehicle accident that left one woman dead and two children injured. In the chaos that followed the crash, Johnny ran straight for the cruiser and found the deputy badly injured and trapped inside.
“Nobody was trying to make an effort, so when I went on one side, couldn’t get in,” Johnny recalled. “I jumped over the car, two more youngsters came and jumped behind me. We pulled him. I opened the door and got him out. We picked him up, put him over the car, took him inside the store.”
Johnny kept talking to the deputy and kept him as warm and stable as he could until help arrived. The deputy is expected to make a full recovery!
Monica says her family is relieved to know Johnny is alive and well, and they’re working with him to get him the help he needs to get off the streets for good. For now, they’re all just thankful that Johnny was in the right place at the right time to save this officer’s life!
Share this story to thank Johnny for risking it all to help another.
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