Not all heroes wear capes, but some of them do have fire extinguishers.
Monica Westbrook of Georgia discovered this when she was given a second chance at life.
She was driving on Interstate 75 when her car had a mechanical problem. It started to run slowly and then crawl. She pulled her car off on an exit ramp to get out of the way of the passing cars.
That’s when her car started to emit smoke.
She saw how the smoke was getting thicker, heavier, and blacker. Monica knew in her gut that the car was about to catch fire. She hurried and tried to get out of the car when she realized she was locked inside.
The door wouldn’t budge.
She said she was in full panic mode when the smoke started to fill her car. Time wasn’t on her side, and she just wanted to get out. She started kicking her back window to no avail.
Monica looked outside and saw cars passing by, but nobody stopped to help.
“Cars were coming down the ramp, and they were just going by,” she told WMAZ. “I just knew I was gone.”
She thought it was her doom until a stranger saw the fire and stopped to help her.
Eric Zastawrny drove along the interstate and pulled over when he saw Monica’s car on fire. He worked as a safety manager, and he had a fire extinguisher in his car. He used it to break the car windows and pulled Monica out of her burning car.
Monica said she was scared and shaking when they got out of the car.
She just hung on to Eric, who held her tighter to help calm her down. He later drove him to safety. Eric – and his handy fire extinguisher – saved the day.
She believed that it was fate that Eric passed her on the interstate that day.
After all, it’s not every day that we come across someone carrying a fire extinguisher with them when it’s needed most. Monica felt like Eric was meant to pass her on the interstate at that time. She couldn’t imagine what would have befallen her if nobody had stopped to help.
As for Eric, he said that what he did simply felt natural.
“Be a good neighbor. Be willing to help somebody out. You know, it clearly goes a long way,” he told WMAZ.
The two earned a new friend in each other.
Monica showed her gratitude to Eric by sending him a card and some flowers after she recovered from the incident and was able to reconnect with him.
We hope this story taught us the unexpected rewards of lending a hand.
Of course, we don’t wish any misfortune would happen to anyone so that we could save them and be called heroes. But if we find others in need, may we be heroes in our own way.
Hear more about Monica and Eric’s story in the video below!
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