A Texas resident who almost died in a car crash rescued 145 drivers stranded this week during winter storm Uri.
Ryan Sivley did not think twice about helping when he saw hundreds of drivers stuck on the side of the icy and treacherous roads in Austin, according to People.
Sivley used his four-wheel drive vehicles to rescue 98 cars on Monday and 47 on Tuesday.
“Well, put yourself in their shoes,” he said. “If you were sitting on the side of the road with your wife and your kids and you’re freezing in the car, and it’s not running and you don’t have anywhere to go and you don’t have anyone to call, what do you do?”
“I’ve seen wreckers turning people away because they won’t pull them out due to liability,” Sivley explained. “You need to stay in your car and just freeze to death? If I was in that spot, I would beg and hope that somebody would help me. So that’s what I’m doing.”
The Good Samaritan was inspired to help after he shattered his pelvic bone and nearly lost his life in a car accident in March.
“Well, I got hit by a few cars and a Harley,” Sivley commented. “I can’t do more than 20 pounds on my left arm and I can’t walk for more than two hours a day. So, I can drive a truck — it’s pretty simple.”
When winter storm Uri hit the area, Sivley wanted to use his own vehicle to get people to safety.
“I’ve been helping anybody I find the side of the road. I do a lot of off-roading with different groups in Austin, so I had recovery straps and chains,” he said.
The storm has caused road closures in Austin and many services are closing down as the city grapples with power outages and frigid temperatures, KVUE reported Thursday.
“[All] I’ve been doing is pulling people off the road and giving people safe rides,” said Sivley, who also transported people from medical centers to their homes and helped nurses reach their destinations.
“This is all I’m doing, just helping out wherever I can,” he noted, adding, “I’m not asking you for anything. If someone helps with a few dollars for gas, that’s great.”