Four small children were rescued from an overturned car by a passing truck driver on Sunday evening, leaving the children’s family searching for a way to thank the mystery hero.
The accident happened on the evening of December 31st in Jeff Davis County, Texas.
According to CBS 7, 28-year-old Elisabeth Valenzuela and four of her children were traveling along Interstate 10, 40 miles west of Balmorhea, in dark and foggy conditions when Valenzuela lost control on a patch of ice. Valenzuela’s vehicle then rolled several times before ejecting her from the driver’s seat, killing her on impact.
Valenzuela’s four children, ages 1, 3, 4, and 5, were then left trapped inside the overturned vehicle in frigid temperatures nearing 10 degrees, and that’s when their “guardian angel” appeared over the horizon. A trucker passing the wreck noticed that something was wrong and stopped to help, calling authorities on his cell phone and even pulling the children from the overturned car himself.
“Luckily he saw there was an issue and he phoned it in, otherwise those poor kids, I don’t know how long they were out there for, but 10 degree weather, who knows how long they would’ve lasted…” said Mike Martinez, Valenzuela’s brother.
“It [the crash site] was cold, it was foggy, and I mean, it’s just secluded… There’s nobody out there, hardly even any lights, it’s just a dark, dark area,” Martinez continued.
Thankfully, Valenzuela’s children sustained only minor scrapes and bruises in the accident, and were soon reunited with their remaining family in El Paso.
The truck driver may not have stuck around to reveal his identity, but the Valenzuela family is still looking for a way to make sure their gratitude is felt by the mystery driver.
“If you’re listening to this, thank you very much,” said Martinez.
“You saved the four little ones that were in there.”
