Stephen Ellison

Good Samaritan's Quick Thinking May Have Saved Man's Life

Victim was pinned underneath an SUV after a crash, and passerby used his carjack to help

A good Samaritan may have saved the life of a man who became pinned underneath a full-size SUV after a crash in Redwood City on Saturday night, authorities said.

The victim was crossing the street at Bridge Parkway and Redwood Shores Parkway about 9:50 p.m. when the crash occurred, and another motorist stopped to help. The good Samaritan, who had been driving home from the grocery store, used his carjack to lift the vehicle off the pedestrian.

"It was just my instinct to run out and help this guy," said Idris Mustafa, who just moved to the Bay Area about a week ago from Washington, D.C. "Because I saw him under the car, and he was like a brother to me, like a member of my family or a friend, and I just wanted to help him."

The victim was suffereing from significant trauma and was taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries that were not considered life-threatening, police said. The driver of the vehicle remained at the scene.

The crash is under investigation, but it did not appear drugs or alcohol contributed, police said.

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