New Orleans Saints defensive lineman Mitchell Loewen was enjoying a nice brunch with his wife and 2-year-old son when he heard a large explosion-like sound.
“People were screaming, it sounded like a bomb or an earthquake or something,” the NFL player told NOLA.com.
His back was to the window but when he turned around he saw a smashed silver Mercedes Benz SUV on its roof in the middle of the street. The car had fallen from a fourth-floor parking garage.
Loewen jumped to his feet and out of the restaurant to help the man who was trapped inside the vehicle.
“There were a bunch of people standing around, but not approaching the car and I was like ‘What’s up, let’s help this guy,'” Loewen said. “I mean, obviously there was someone in there, I wasn’t going to just stand by and watch. It was a life or death situation.”
The man in the SUV, who appeared to be in his mid-20s, was stuck in the passenger seat and pinned down by the weight of his car.
“There was no way I could have dragged him out of that. So, I called for people to come help and about 10 of us flipped the car onto its side,” Loewen said.
Video shows bystanders helping flip a car after it fell from the fourth floor of a parking garage at Girod and O’Keefe streets. Police say one person was injured. (Video via Cate Creed) pic.twitter.com/nWmILiUDfi
— WWL-TV (@WWLTV) July 15, 2018
Eventually, the man stopped responding to Loewen’s questions which greatly worried Loewen.
Finally, a bystander crawled into the car and opened the back passenger seat.
He was able to confirm that the driver was conscious. Loewen was eventually able to rip off the door from the outside so he could talk to the man.
“He didn’t say much, he was just thanking us all. I hugged him and told him he was going to be ok, and then I prayed with him,” Loewen said. “I couldn’t tell how bad his injuries were, but there was a lot of blood and broken glass.”
Bystandards helped the man sit up until paramedics arrived.
Police are still investigating how the car fell from the fourth-floor parking garage. They extent of the man’s injuries are unknown but he is expected to survive.
“It was like a movie. I just did what I had to do, and I wasn’t thinking about anything else,” Loewen said. “I just want to meet the guy and talk to him. I’m still in awe and can’t stop thinking about him and praying that he’s all right.”
You can hear Loewen recount the story of what occurred in the video below.
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Not all heroes wear capes!@Saints DE Mitchell Loewen explains how he helped save a man's life from an SUV that fell from a parking structure. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/F7GEpslJHf
— NFL Total Access (@NFLTotalAccess) July 17, 2018
