One single act of kindness can change your life. Whether you're the person who does a good deed or the person helped by a Good Samaritan, there is something to be said for how those experiences shape you. It isn't something that many people ever forget.
A man in Texas is telling the story of how one woman's good deed literally saved his life. After a freak accident while driving, the man became trapped in his car. Despite many people taking notice of his predicament, only one woman was brave enough to step in and help. And now, the man is doing everything in his power to repay her for her help.
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The man's car was crushed by a fallen tree.
Bryan Pederson from Tomball, Texas, was at a stoplight May 16 during a storm, waiting for the light to change. He told CBS affiliate KHOU that his wife called him while he was driving. "She said, 'Are you coming home? Your daughter is worried about you. She grabbed my hand and wants to pray, She said something bad is going to happen to Dad,'" he said.
Then a big oak tree fell on top of his SUV, crushing both him and the car. "When you see the pictures it’s unbelievable," Pederson told KHOU.
That's when a woman stepped in to save his life.
Veronica Marin, a single mom of three, was driving behind Pederson and saw what happened. "I see the tree fall on the truck. What impacts me is all the cars turned around, and in front of me, I don't know, without thinking, my mother instincts," she told KHOU in Spanish.
Even though she had her own kids in the car, Marin feared that Pederson might have kids trapped in the car with him.
"She reached in, undid my seatbelt, which I didn’t even think about, and grabbed me like she had done this a million times," he explained to the news outlet.
Marin really is a hero.
Pederson went into more detail about Marin's heroic deed in the GoFundMe account he started for Marin. He explained that 10 people in their cars watched the tree crush him, but only Marin and one other man, Travis Lennon, stopped to help him.
He explained that Marin is only 5'2" and has chronic back pain after a work accident damaged a disc in her back. "She grabbed my arms and just kept pulling, encouraging me the entire time to get out. I twisted, and maneuvered, with her helping and guiding me," he wrote.
Eventually, Marin and Lennon were able to get him out of the car. He sat in Lennon's truck to wait for help. Marin quickly disappeared, driving away with her children.
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Pederson knew that he had to do something to repay Marin for saving his life.
Using social media, Pederson was able to locate Marin, whom he met up with at a fire station to say thank you. "I was emotional, and kept playing through my head, how do you thank someone who literally saved your life?" he told KHOU.
Marin revealed that she has a full-time job but is still struggling to make ends meet. On top of that, her home needed a lot of repairs. That's when Pederson decided to launch the GoFundMe account to get her the help she needs. "Many people in the community are amazed at her bravery and selfless act and asked how they could help," he wrote.
"I’m so grateful for her presence that day, her unwavering faith and her humbleness. I hope as a community, can come together to make her life so much better, as she was brave enough to help spare mine."
The fundraising page has exceeded its goal.
"God is good all the time," Marin, who was given special recognition from her job, told KHOU. "I do this for Mr. Bryan without expecting anything in return. I am very grateful to God because he put me in that moment with him."
Pederson will be forever grateful to Marin for saving his life.
"It makes you want to be a better human being yourself, and that’s my goal right now," he said. "If we can at least help her out, it’s something my kids can learn from. They’re grateful I’m still here too."
