Trying to Help, Driver Ends Up Saving a Life

Victor Cabrera didn’t set out to be a hero. But when he went to the aid of an ailing driver in December, his life seemed to turn into a fast-action short.

When Cabrera, 32, looked inside a stalled pickup truck at Alton and Millikan avenues in Irvine, he saw the driver was having a convulsion. Suddenly, the truck lurched forward into traffic.

Running alongside, Cabrera struggled with the door, opened it and got in. He managed to grab the wheel and slam the gear shift into “park” as the pickup jumped the curb and headed for a tree.

“When I finally got it to stop, I realized just how close we were to getting killed,” said Cabrera, of Santa Ana, who was honored for his actions recently with an All American Hero Award from Mimi’s Cafe in Irvine.

Irvine police credit him with saving the life of the driver, who had an epileptic seizure but was not injured.

Cabrera had just picked up his wife from work and pulled up behind the pickup at a stop sign. When the truck failed to move, Cabrera thought it was stalled and drove around. That’s when he saw that the driver seemed unconscious.

His wife, Erendira, said she was frightened when she saw her husband jump into the suddenly moving truck.

“It all happened so quickly. You read about someone saving a life, but you never expect your husband to be involved. He truly is my hero,” she said.

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To be considered for this column, please send information on the Orange County person being honored along with a photograph to Lynn O’Dell, the Los Angeles Times, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626. (714) 283-5685.