'GUARDIAN ANGEL' FREEWAY DRIVER RUSHES TO RESCUE CRASH VICTIM.Byline: Cecilia Chan and Lisa Van Proyen Staff Writers LAKE VIEW TERRACE - As Monday's rush-hour traffic whizzed by, Rosemary Woodbury lost control of her car, which nose-dived off the Foothill Freeway and down an embankment - but only one person stopped to help. Authorities hailed Keith Reuter as a hero for scrambling down the embankment to assist Woodbury as she crawled away from her burning car. ``He was a guardian angel guardian angel believed to protect a particular person. [Folklore: Misc.] See : Angel guardian angel term for Christian namesake who watches over a young child. [Christianity: Misc.] See : Guardianship who happened by,'' said Woodbury's husband, Rich Gold, 45, of Van Nuys. ``Anyone who would approach a burning car is all right with me.'' California Highway Patrol highway patrol n. A state law enforcement organization whose police officers patrol the public highways. officials said the 38-year-old resident of Newhall was the only one to help. ``He did a pretty good job. I told him he's a hero,'' said CHP CHP Chapter CHP Combined Heat and Power CHP California Highway Patrol CHP Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi (Turkish: Republican People's Party) CHP Chemical Hygiene Plan (OSHA) CHP Community Health Plan Officer John Bavetta of the Altadena office. ``A whole lot of people had gone by, but he was the only one to stop.'' In the moments after the crash, Reuter grabbed a fire extinguisher fire extinguisher: see fire fighting. from his car, scaled a chain-link fence and hurried through rocks and bushes down a 40-foot embankment, Bavetta said. ``He helped her get away from the car. There's a possibility that the car could have exploded.'' Reuter could not be reached for comment Monday, but Gold said he wants to track him down to offer his thanks. ``I always thought that if I were in that situation I would do the same thing,'' Gold said. ``But not everyone does.'' The impact of the crash broke the 39-year-old Woodbury's ankles, punctured punc·ture v. punc·tured, punc·tur·ing, punc·tures v.tr. 1. To pierce with a pointed object. 2. To make (a hole) by piercing. 3. To cause to collapse by piercing. her lungs and broke some ribs, Gold said. She was scheduled for surgery Monday afternoon at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center Providence Holy Cross Medical Center is a hospital in Mission Hills, California, USA. The hospital has 254 beds, and is part of Providence Health & Services. History in Mission Hills. Woodbury was en route to work in Glendale about 6:30 a.m. when she thought a piece of carpet on the freeway was a dog and swerved to avoid it, officials said. She lost control of her car, which veered to the right, hit an asphalt barrier at the edge of the roadway and ``launched off an embankment,'' Bavetta said. Her 1991 Ford Escort Over the years, the name 'Ford Escort' has been used for several models. For more information, see:
Ford Motor Company flew in midair for 200 feet then took a ``nose-dive crash,'' flipping end over end, landing on its roof in an empty wash and burst into flames, Bavetta said. He said a seat belt helped save her life. She managed to get out of the burning car but was able to crawl only about 12 feet away before Reuter arrived. CAPTION(S): map Map: Site of crash Daily News |
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