
22-year-old Keenia Williams was driving her daughter to school when she saw a truck tip over and burst into flames in her rear-view mirror. A sedan in front of the truck had lost control, coliding with another car. The truck swerved to avoid the accident and tipped over. Williams stopped her car and ran to the scene. The truck driver, 52-year-old Michael Finerty, had collapsed a few feet from the burning wreck. Williams grabbed Finerty and dragged him to safety.
“You had the opportunity to see what was going on and see that driver was in a lot of danger and needed immediate assistance. … Very impressive,” San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White told Williams. “You left your daughter and, at a great risk to yourself, you saved a man’s life. Seconds count in an accident like this, and without your bravery the situation would have been entirely different.”
“When he was going away (in the ambulance), he kept asking for my name. He was telling me he would never forget me, and for somebody to say that when they don’t even know me, wow,” Williams said. “Most people kept going. I don’t know what made me stop, so I am glad I did. If that was me, I would want somebody to stop and save my life.”