Driver Stops Out-Of-Control Car In Eagan
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- An Eagan woman is recovering from a seizure, but things could have been much worse without the help of a truck driver.
Tamara O'Tool, 57, had a seizure while driving on Cliff Road Tuesday. She lost consciousness, but her car kept going.
As O'Tool's car kept rolling, a man at a nearby Walgreen's ran to try and help her.
Dan Heim, who installs bank equipment for SPC installs bank equipment, was leaving a job site when he saw a man run into the road to help.
"He was banging ferociously on a window, and I could see the driver bobbing back and forth and she didn't look like she was in control," Heim said. "I just knew, I just knew I had to stop her car and help out afterwards."
So he made a U-turn and rammed into Tamara's car in order to stop it.
He says he made the snap decision in order to help. By the time officers arrived, he had done just that.
"It's great to see that people saw someone in need and their first instinct was to help," said Eagan Police Officer Aaron Machtemes.
And just in the nick of time.
"If she kept going at the rate she was going, she would have been up and over the ditch bank and down in the drink nearby, so we stopped it," Heim said.
O'Tool called Heim and the other man who helped to thank them personally on Wednesday while she was undergoing medical tests. Heim said he apologized to her for smashing her car, but she said she was just thankful for the help.
Both men are also being nominated for Eagan Police's Outstanding Citizen Award.
O'Tool says she has never had a seizure before. She sent WCCO this statement:
"I had the opportunity to speak with both gentlemen this morning. I've never experienced anything like this, so they were able to provide helpful information. I am extremely grateful for their intervention and for the assistance of the police and paramedics."