CAR ACCIDENT: Samaritan Motorist Loses Leg in Crash

March 4, 2010

Sacramento - A man who helped a stranded motorist had himself sustained serious injuries and his leg amputated after a vehicle travelling at an unsafe speed hit him and the parked vehicle in Marysville recently, the California Highway Patrol said.

The 50-year-old David Lewis, from Gridley, was rushed to a hospital after his leg had been severed in the crash.

Reports indicate that Lewis, who was working for a towing company, helped a motorist whose Dodge Durango ran out of gas along E Street Bridge. Lewis got out of his Chevrolet service vehicle to give gas to the man.

Lewis and the driver were standing at the back of the Dodge when a 1989 Honda Accord hit Lewis and the side of the Dodge. The other driver was able to get away in time.

The 40-year-old driver of the Honda identified as John Letcher was not injured.

Authorities are investigating other factors that could have contributed to the crash.