Gotta Watch: To the rescue
In Utah, passers-by lifted a BMW, dragging an injured motorcyclist out, who had collided with the car.
September 13th, 2011
03:36 PM ET

Gotta Watch: To the rescue

The most popular video on CNN.com Tuesday showed a group of daring citizens who proved that, in the face of danger, the average person can become a modern-day hero. On a busy street in Utah, 21-year-old Brandon Wright crashed his motorcycle into a BMW, pinning him underneath the burning car. Seconds later, passers-by sprang into action, lifting the car and dragging him to safety. Last night, CNN's Piers Morgan spoke to three of the men who saved Wright and got an update on Wright's condition from his uncle.

In today's Gotta Watch, we take a look at other good Samaritans helping those in need as fear subsides and adrenaline takes over.

Close call in canal crash - Last summer, 17-year old Jasmine Gonzalez's Chevy Cobalt careened off a Florida interstate into a canal, trapping her inside. A couple saw it happen and rescued her using the only tool they could find.

'A complete team effort' - In 2009, a mother of two crashed her SUV into a tree. It caught fire, but as luck would have it, two off-duty firefighters were among a group of bystanders who helped save the day.

Subway Samaritan: 'I'm no hero' - Wesley Autry's subway rescue earned him an invitation to President Bush's 2007 State of the Union address. He was also named one of TIME magazine's 100 most influential people. Talk about good karma!
Filed under: Florida • Uncategorized • Utah • Wisconsin
soundoff (37 Responses)
  1. Eric

    Sorry Joe , to mention you too about UR comment ( the guy in balck suit no help at all. ) He is NO HERO

    September 14, 2011 at 12:02 pm | Report abuse |
    • Cait

      The guy in the suit was reported to be the driver of the car, and was apparently in shock. I am not defending his lack of concern or help, only reporting what I read.

      September 14, 2011 at 1:45 pm | Report abuse |
  2. david

    Am i the only one of this board that think it is amazing how these people put their lives in danger to save this mans life. For all they knew he was dead already but they put the lives on the line. This gives me faith in humanity.

    September 14, 2011 at 12:06 pm | Report abuse |
    • trp48

      Agreed.

      September 14, 2011 at 12:32 pm | Report abuse |
  3. Glades2

    The bottom line is that man would have likely died had they just stood there – once again the old saying that evil grows when men do nothing is so true – in this case they did do something, and it saved a man's life – a great story...

    September 14, 2011 at 12:14 pm | Report abuse |
  4. Eric

    No David , you are not the only one , everyone that helped him are heros , ( EXCEPT THE FAT CAT IN THE BLACK SUIT ) They put them selfs in harms way to help

    September 14, 2011 at 12:15 pm | Report abuse |
  5. Nodack

    I read these boards all the time and as a result I start to to faith in humanity. It was nice to see these stories of humans being compasionate for their fellow man. Maybe I will stay away from politics today and make believe everybody would do the same as these people did.

    September 14, 2011 at 12:28 pm | Report abuse |
  6. jj

    Fat suit is a real loser

    September 14, 2011 at 12:50 pm | Report abuse |
  7. D Lewis

    I love how there are a bunch of people on here criticizing the man in the suit for not helping. Of course, most automatically claim that he is rich, the driver of the car, or looking for attention by getting in the picture (even though he probably did not know one was being taken). How do you know he does not suffer from a disability that prevents him from lifting anything heavy? I don't see any females lending a hand (there may be one, but I am not sure) so why are you not whining about lazy females who do nothing?

    September 14, 2011 at 12:59 pm | Report abuse |
    • jenn216

      Actually there is one female, in flip flops, that was helping. She is mentioned in one of the earlier stories relating to this incident. You can see her in this photo; she is in front of the guy in khaki shorts and white t-shirt.

      September 14, 2011 at 1:11 pm | Report abuse |
    • JenJen

      There were two women helping. Had no idea that all accidental bystanders had to come from representational demo groups. Next time rescuers will surely stop and arrange themselves accordingly. As for the "Fat cat," he could have been in shock and had no idea what was going on. I have never run over anyone and thought they were dead. I can't judge his reaction as I have never been in his shoes. The cops weren't flipping the car either. I think the rescuers caught everyone off guard.

      September 14, 2011 at 1:38 pm | Report abuse |
    • Judianne

      To the person who claimed the man who caused the accident has a disability. He does. The two for which he is directly responsible are obesity and its related maladies and total lack of regard for the lives and well being of others. He was the one who hit the boy, and he didn't look too broken up about it as he paced about impatiently while waiting for others to clean up his mess. Also, it was a small female who got down on the ground, assessed the condition of the boy underneath it, and did what she could, considering her small stature, to assist them in their efforts toward saving the boy's life. Look at the video again. People of all sizes were helping, and you don't know whether or not they had any physical disabilities. If they did, the boy's life was more important to them at that moment. That's the way most responsible adults react! ... BTW, are you the man who caused the accident, or are you, in some way related to him? If you are, I can totally understand why you would rather focus on rescuing his rights to an untarnished image than you are on the boy he injured and the people who risked their lives to rescue him.

      September 15, 2011 at 7:31 pm | Report abuse |
  8. stan

    i couldnt help but think of the guy in the black suit as the symbol of cooperate america . and perhaps the poor man under the car anerica itself,

    September 14, 2011 at 1:00 pm | Report abuse |
  9. ManInBlackSuit

    That cop isn't helping either. Nor is the guy who took the photograph. Worthless people.

    September 14, 2011 at 1:31 pm | Report abuse |
    • Chris

      The guy in the suit was the person who drove the BMW that hit the motorcyclist. He was in shock, but probably still an arrogant jerk.. However, the guy shooting the video was on the ninth floor of the business building at USU preparing for a video shoot when the accident happened. The best thing he could have done was just film, in my opinion. Any maybe call 911, but more than likely numerous others already were dialing 911.

      September 14, 2011 at 6:59 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Faith

    I read a story like this and my faith in humanity is renewed. Then I read the comments left by users....

    September 14, 2011 at 1:34 pm | Report abuse |
  11. Steve

    Great story out of staunchly conservative Utah. Compare this to the incident a few years back on the East Coast where a pedestrian was hit by a car and left to die in the street while dozens of people drove around him and no one called for help.

    September 14, 2011 at 1:46 pm | Report abuse |
  12. Scottish Mama

    Amazing and he is lucky to have people with the mind set to think to help.

    September 14, 2011 at 1:56 pm | Report abuse |
  13. Jazzzzzzzz

    Just watched the little boy trapped in the burning car video, my heart can't take! So happy he made it out.
    And God bless those who sprang into action.

    September 14, 2011 at 8:07 pm | Report abuse |
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