Good Samaritans, driver hit by car after crash in Mesquite
MESQUITE, Texas - Two people who stopped to help at an accident scene were injured when another car ran into them in Mesquite overnight.
It happened around 11 p.m. Thursday near the intersection of the LBJ Freeway and Interstate 30. The driver of a Honda SUV lost control on the ramp, hit a guard rail, traveled across I-30 and crashed into an HOV wall.
Two passing motorists stopped to help and were on foot when the driver of a Fiat coupe crashed into them.
The driver of the SUV and one Good Samaritan were critically hurt. They’ve been identified as 32-year-old Stefanos Haileslassie and 50-year-old Patrick Lewis.
The other person who stopped to help, 40-year-old Sherwin Lewis, was less seriously hurt.
"It's just what we do. We stopped to help. We take care of people. It's just what we do,” Sherwin Lewis said.
He said he didn't expect to be hit and said it seemed like the vehicle came out of nowhere. Sherwin Lewis’ wife watched him and Patrick Lewis (unrelated) get hit while sitting in the Lewis’ car.
"I went up in the air, both of us went up in the air. The difference is, the other gentleman he got pinned and then thrown so his feet his leg was stuck in the guardrail."
Mesquite Police Lt. Brian Parrish said North Texas is full of generous people who want to assist, but he said the safest way to help is to stay in your vehicle and call 911.
"The best thing to do is be a good witness, observe the accident scene, call the police and stay out of the way because the last thing we need is more victims at the scene,” Parrish said.
Despite that, Sherwin Lewis said he’d help another accident victim out again.
The driver of the Fiat, 35-year-old Nathan Harris, was not hurt. Mesquite police said an investigation into the accident is ongoing.