Two Oklahoma National Guardsmen Bond After Car Accidents

A patch of ice cemented a bond between two strangers.

A teenaged National Guardsman was headed to duty near Collinsville, when he slid off Highway 169 near 46 Street North. A second National Guardsman pulled over to help, but ended up in the Intensive Care Unit for a week with brain injuries after a third car hit them both.

Now, they have a new outlook on life.

"I remember going over the overpass and there was a car in front of me that lost control," said Shaun Cooper.

Cooper stopped to help the driver, 19-year-old Matthew Davis. But icy roads that night led to a chain of events that would forever bond the two National Guard members.

"I heard Shaun yell, 'Get up, get up,' and that's when I heard tires screech," said Davis.

A third car hit that same patch of ice, slammed into Davis's jeep, hitting Shaun and left him unconscious and in the ICU for a week.

"It's heartwarming knowing he saved my life. It was that second he could've drove by, my driver's seat had a rod sticking through it. I look at life a lot differently now," said Davis.

"I was terrified, but I didn't have time to think about it, and a lot of people would've just drove on and I couldn't imagine having done that," Cooper said.

With the accident two weeks behind them, Davis and Cooper are trying to stay positive, and send a message to people to stop next time someone needs help.

"I think for me, this is a milestone in my life. I'll be able to look back and say, ‘I did the right thing at the right time,' where truthfully, as people, we don't get a lot of opportunities like that." Cooper said.

"My life could've been a lot different. Could've destroyed my parents and something could be ripped away just like that.I definitely live in the moments," said Davis.

Because of that moment, the two families have been brought close together.

"I've got a friend for life. I'm glad that I could help him and he's okay. I made it out ok, I think that's the whole point. We're selfless about it and I'm just happy to be looking at each other right now," said Cooper.

"Like he said, God has a calling," said Davis. "I don't know what it is, but I have something."

Cooper has some extensive hearing and memory loss and faces some lengthy rehabilitation.

If you would like to help, a fund has been set up at Tulsa Federal Credit Union for Cooper and his family, it's called the Shaun Cooper Benefit Fund.