Samaritans Save Driver's Life Following I-5 Crash near Avery

A stranded driver with a disabled vehicle was saved by two good Samaritans after he was struck while pushing his car down the 5 Freeway on Thursday around 10:30 p.m., according to authorities and a report from City News Service.

A 29-year-old Pasadena man heading north was struck while pushing his Pontiac on the shoulder of the I-5 south of Avery, California Highway Patrol Officer Chris Goodwin said. He was injured and taken to Mission Hospital.

The man who hit him was a 52-year-old from Mission Viejo driving a Ford, Goodwin said. It is unknown why the Ford veered into the shoulder, Goodwin said, but officers do not suspect alcohol was involved.

Two men were helping the injured driver push his vehicle when he was hit, CNS said. After he was struck, he apparently fell into the right lane before the two men pulled him back onto the shoulder of the road, saving him from further injury, CNS said.

"If it weren't for the good Samaritans, it could have been different," CHP Officer Robert Hunter told CNS. The man's car had run out of gas, one of the two men credited with helping save the victim's life told CNS.