An Everday Hero

A round of applause goes to James Sorenson, the owner of John's Towing in Utah, for his quick actions to lift a truck off a man who had been run over and dragged. Here's the story from the Deseret Morning News:

AMERICAN FORK — A couple are in critical condition after being hit in a crosswalk in American Fork Friday afternoon.

Just after 1:40 p.m. a man and woman were crossing in the crosswalk at Main Street and Center Street in American Fork, when a Texas man turned left on a green light and struck the couple.

The 53-year-old male victim was wedged under the truck, but a tow truck driver just happened to be driving by when the accident occurred, said Lt. Sam Liddiard with American Fork Police.

"It's kind of amazing he was there," Liddiard said of James Sorenson, owner of John's Towing.

Sorenson has 30 years of towing experience and has been involved with 30 to 50 fatal accidents, but this one, he says, was the worst.

"I just broke down and bawled afterword," he said. "I don't know why, but for some reason this one really bothered me. He was in bad shape."

The woman dropped where she was hit, but the man was dragged 30 to 50 feet under the truck, Sorenson said.

"It probably took about 45 seconds to a minute" to drop the car he was already towing and hook and lift the truck, he said. "I've just been doing this for so long, and adrenaline kicks in, too."

After Sorenson's lift, paramedics attended to the man, then he was flown via medical helicopter to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in critical condition, Liddiard said.

The man's wife was taken via ambulance to American Fork Hospital, also in critical condition.

The couple are from Utah, though not from American Fork, Liddiard said.

The driver, 72, who was not injured, was not cited but is cooperating with law enforcement and the investigation, Liddiard said.