Truck driver Randall D’Addezio’s day was going normally until it wasn’t. He was reportedly behind the wheel in Grand Chute, Wisconsin, when he saw a dangerous crash involving two semi-trucks. He told WBAY-TV, “I put on my four ways because I honestly thought the truck was going to come over and slam into me, came to a stop, looked, seen that she was still in the driver’s seat, seeing the fire and stuff, the sparks, the tires were on fire.”  As flames began to spread quickly, he realized a female driver was trapped and unable to exit.

D’Addezio knew there wasn’t time to wait for emergency personnel, so he put himself in harm’s way, grabbed a fire extinguisher, and pulled the woman out of the dangerous situation before her truck was totally engulfed in flames. He added, “My body just started moving on its own. I told her it was going to be OK — ‘I’m here.’ I smiled and said I’d help [her] out.” In the end, D’Addezio did just that, rescuing the grateful woman from what could have been a deadly situation. His boldness and willingness to serve is notable. “Instead of panic, you harness the fear and use it,” D’Addezio told WGBA-TV of his motivation.

The woman he rescued reportedly asked him why he risked his life for her. “She just said, ‘Thank you.’ She was crying,” he said. “I just said, ‘That’s what I do’.” Further reflecting on the situation, D’Addezio said he believes people have a responsibility to help one another. “I would hope someone would get out of the car and save one of my loved ones too, in this case,” he told WBAY-TV. “Do what you would to other people for how you want to be treated.”

D’Addezio continued, “It’s important for all of us to work together in society the way it is these days.” The Good Samaritan, who has a 4-year-old with leukemia, truly put himself before others — a lesson all of us can heed.