The roof of their van caved in, water seeping through, and the doors not opening, Melanie Scoular was worried.
She was driving with her children to her parents’ home for Christmas dinner. But on Lougheed Highway just west of Mission, she lost control of her van, and it crashed down a short cliff into a five-foot deep creek.
Her daughter Kayla, six months pregnant, was badly cut. Her two younger sons were scared. Many of their Christmas presents were ruined.
But they were able to get through the situation thanks to a Good Samaritan driving by.
Get breaking National news
“It was very brave of him, especially to stand in the water that long,” said Scoular.
“A lot of people wouldn’t have taken that risk. He was very calm the entire time, and I’m very grateful for that.”
Cindy Corke, the girlfriend of the Samaritan – who goes by “Al” – said they stopped their car when they heard the van crashing.
“He pulled right over,” said Corke. “He threw his sweater off, through chest deep, freezing cold, and went right to the door. He talked to them, calmed them down, got a visual of each one, and held their hands and made sure they were okay.”
They stayed at the scene as crews came to rescue the Scoular family, helping them find the best path to the vehicle.
In the end, the boys were a little upset they lost most of their Christmas presents in the water. The worst of the injuries were the 14 stitches Kayla received. But unborn child was unharmed, and the rest of the family only suffered minor cuts and bruises.
They realize how lucky they were.
“I was ready to freak out,” said Kayla. “But he came down, held my hand, told me it was going to be okay.”
If you would like to help the family get new Christmas gifts, you can email them at jimscoular@shaw.ca.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.