RAMONA, Calif. (KGTV) – A California man said his father is alive thanks to the quick actions of a UPS driver.
The heroic act happened last week when a 75-year-old man driving a golf cart collided with a truck.
Moments later, the UPS driver came to his aid.
Last Tuesday morning, smiles were hard to come by.
Seventy-five-year-old James Ostermann had been driving his golf cart when, the California Highway Patrol said, it collided head-on with a truck.
Soon after, a UPS truck with delivery driver Derrick West at the wheel drove past the scene.
James Ostermann was on the ground then, surrounded by blood and people standing nearby, witnesses said.
“Two ladies yelled, ‘He’s bleeding out. We need to stop the bleeding,’” West remembered. “Instinctively, just started taking off my belt.”
West applied a tourniquet to James Ostermann’s leg for several minutes until emergency crews arrived. He was then airlifted to a hospital.
James Ostermann has undergone four surgeries since the crash. His femoral artery was damaged, and he has fractures throughout his body, including in his leg, pelvis and ribs.
He is now in stable condition.
Details of the crash appeared on social media, including a recount of West’s actions.
Not far from the crash scene, two strangers, West and James Ostermann’s son, Chris Ostermann, met Monday for an emotional meeting.
“If he would have been five minutes behind, he wouldn’t have made it,” Chris Ostermann said, according to input from doctors. “Wouldn’t have made it without Derrick. No dad anymore. He is an angel.”
A UPS driver saved a grandfather’s life after a golf cart crash in California.
“Don’t even know what to say. Just makes me feel amazing,” West responded.
The California Highway Patrol said an investigation into the crash is ongoing.
“Given me renewed hope, amazing people,” Chris Ostermann added. “There’s heroes out there. Can’t express my thanks enough.”
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