Florida driver Brigitte Gonzalez was driving on US 441 near Miami when she noticed a distressing situation unfolding in the vehicle next to her. Gonzalez says that the female driver next to her was having a stroke while behind the wheel, but her vehicle was still moving. Now Brigitte is being hailed a hero for her quick-thinking actions which likely saved a mother and her young daughter from serious injury. Brigitte sacrificed her own vehicle to ensure the safety of mother Nakia Moore and her infant daughter, by crashing her car into the front of Nakia’s vehicle to bring the vehicle to a safe and more controlled halt.
The Daily Mail reports that Brigitte Gonzalez was driving on the highway when other drivers began honking their horns. Brigitte says she looked to her left and noticed that the woman behind the wheel was foaming at the mouth and appeared to be having a seizure. The quick-thinking young woman jumped into immediate action when she saw a baby in the backseat of the car and crashed her own vehicle into the front of the uncontrolled vehicle to bring it to a full stop.
“Everybody was honking, honking, honking — I looked to my left, and I saw the lady, and she was having a stroke, a seizure. She was foaming out of the mouth. She was just shaking. Then I saw her daughter, and that’s when I guess it hit me in my heart that I was like, have to stop her.”
Brigitte was able to bring Nakia Moore’s vehicle to a controlled stop and other drivers quickly called for help. Nakia is praising Brigitte as a hero and says that she doesn’t know what would have happened to her daughter or herself had Brigitte not stepped in and taken control of the situation. Nakia says that she is “thanking God” that Brigitte was around and that her daughter is safe.
Florida woman notices driver having a stroke and saves her and her child by crashing her car https://t.co/Mk3k7jogJs
— News, Views, People. (@NVPeople) July 18, 2016
According to WSVN, Brigitte says she isn’t at all concerned about the minor damage done to her vehicle as she is just happy that Nakia’s infant daughter is okay. Sgt. Kypps Pollard with the Broward Sheriff’s Office says that Brigitte was very intentional in her actions and that she gently guided Nakia’s car to a safer position by hitting the front of the car slightly with her own vehicle.
“She just positioned her car, you know, with the speeds that the car was going, to minimize that amount of damage and the impact. Thank God that there are good people out there that do things just for the right reason.”
Learn the signs of stroke. If you or someone you’re with experiences any of these signs dial 9-1-1 immediately. pic.twitter.com/kzBz8DNwik
— CypressHealth (@CypressHealth) July 7, 2016
The officer says that emergency crews and sheriff’s officer responded to the scene and that traffic was redirected around the stopped vehicles. Nakia was taken to the hospital where it was determined she had suffered a stroke behind the wheel. Following the startling incident, Nakia and Brigitte have stayed in contact. Though the pair have not met in person since the accident, the pair say that they are keeping in contact via phone calls and that they expect they will remain life-long friends.
Driver intentionally crashes vehicle to save woman and child https://t.co/MF4nkVQiFP
— Miami Metro Bugle (@MiamiMetroBugle) July 7, 2016
What do you think about Brigitte’s quick-thinking actions? Would you know what to do if you saw a driver having a stroke in their vehicle next to you?
[Image via Shutterstock]
