Bryan Pederson was driving home in the middle of a dangerous wind storm that hit Houston and caused widespread damage back in May, when a tree fell and crushed his SUV. Verónica Marin, a single mother who was on the road with her three kids, witnessed the accident and immediately rushed to help.
"I found out later that once the tree fell, 10 cars watched it happen and turned around. They all left the scene," Pederson wrote online. Only Marin and another good Samaritan stayed to help.
Pederson said he was "folded in half" and "struggling to breathe" as the roof of his vehicle pressed down on him. "Verónica immediately crawled into the vehicle and undid my seatbelt. She grabbed my arms and kept pulling, encouraging me the entire time to get out," he said.
Once Pederson was safe, Marin rushed back to her vehicle to get her kids home. "I didn't get her contact information," Pederson said.
Wanting to show his gratitude, Pederson searched for the woman who saved his life and turned to Facebook to track her down. "We eventually located her through a post on social media that went viral in our community," he said.
Pederson then learned that Marin's home had been heavily damaged by the storm. He also found out that she was a single mother working two jobs. This led Pederson to start a GoFundMe campaign with the initial goal of helping Marin repair her home.
The campaign garnered support from more than 1,300 donors and raised $68,026. Braustin Homes, a mobile home company, saw Pederson's story and offered Marin a new mobile home at cost. Marin used the funds to purchase a 3-bedroom, 2-bath mobile home, which she and her children received last week with tears of excitement, according to KHOU 11.
"God is good all the time," Marin told KHOU 11. "I did this for Mr. Bryan without expecting anything in return. I am very grateful to God because he put me in that moment with him."
From the evening of May 16, 2024, to midday May 17, 2024, the strong wind storm, dubbed the Houston derecho by the National Weather Service, brought winds up to 100 miles per hour along with four tornadoes. The derecho left widespreak damage and was considered the worst damaging wind event to affect Houston in nearly 25 years. At least seven people were killed by the storm.
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