MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — It is a dramatic case of what many would consider a guardian angel risking his life to save another.
It all happened in just a matter of seconds on a busy interstate.
Kayla Gilbert got in a wreck and was in dire need of help.
Thankfully, Nathan Harrell was nearby.
"It kind of happened over there," Gilbert said to me as she explained where her accident happened. "It is dangerous at that overpass."
Early Sunday morning, Gilbert was driving I-840 in Rutherford County, when a front tire blew and she crashed into the concrete median.
She was stunned and her wrecked car was sticking out in the lane of traffic.
Suddenly, she heard a man yelling to her.
"He is running toward me and says, 'Get out of the the road. Get out of the road.' I leaned up against the bridge and next thing I know a car came barreling in," Gilbert said.
Harrell — a passing trucker — had stopped, realizing Gilbert was in danger of getting hit by passing cars.
He helped her to a safe spot but suddenly Harrell found himself in the danger zone.
"As soon as we got out of the car, out of nowhere another car started coming towards us. My first reaction was I had to get out of the way. There's a bridge and it's so dark you can't really see anything. I was hoping there was ground on the other side and I jumped," said Harrell.
He fell 25 feet down to concrete below, breaking five bones in his back, nine ribs and puncturing a lung.
Incredibly, he has no paralysis and is expected to fully heal.
Gilbert visited Harrell at the hospital and gifted him a Superman t-shirt, fitting for the man who literally saved the day.
"He saved my life. I can never thank him enough for it," Gilbert said.
Harrell is the bread winner for his family and a father of three.
A GoFundMe has been set up in his name to support medical expenses.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at nick.beres@newschannel5.com
As a parent, staying one step ahead of the "bad guys" is getting increasingly tough due to the vast landscape of the online world. Like me, if you are raising kids - Phil Williams' latest investigation is a must see. I appreciate the knowledge and practical steps he delivers in this report.
- Carrie Sharp
