Man searches for good Samaritans who helped him after crash

(WISH) — Duane Thalley survived a car crash.

He said strangers came to his rescue after being hit just before 9 p.m. Aug. 11 on State Road 135. Now, he has begun tracking down the good Samaritans who helped saved his life.

Thalley is recovering at home from being in the hospital. “I was pretty shaken up. I was scared. I was in pain, and they really calmed me down. T hey made the situation bearable, 100 percent,” he said.

Thalley said he was riding down Epler Street and was making a left turn onto State Road 135 when all of a sudden he was hit by a car.

“When the impact hit all I knew was instantly I was in the air and I had to figure out what I was gonna do after that,” Thalley said. “How I was gonna land and how I was gonna survive pretty much?”

He said a few minutes passed before a man came to him. The good Samaritan asked if he was OK and called 911. Two women also showed up and stood by his side until helped arrived, Thalley said.

“This entire time, the women are asking me about my family. They are holding and squeezing my hand like they’re holding their son’s hand or their brother’s hand, and I felt loved in that embrace that they gave me.”

The motorcyclist said the strangers walked away once police and emergency medical services arrived.

“I get on the stretcher, I look, and the ladies, the young man, they’re just kind of walking off into the sunset. They just go away, and I never asked them their names.”

Thalley suffered a busted knee, bruises and two sprained ankles, but the pain doesn’t outweigh the appreciation he has for the three people who helped saved his life. His wife and kids are grateful as well. They would like to meet the good Samaritans to share their gratitude.

“I think that what they did needs to be talked about and I think that what they did was not a small task. To me, it was huge and I think that we all should take a lesson from them,” Thalley said.

Contact WISH-TV or visit News 8 Reporter Aleah Hordges’ Facebook page if you have an idea who these strangers are! We want to hear from you, too.