Tulsa Driver Credited With Saving Life Of Woman In Ditch

Chris Wright, News On 6

TULSA, Oklahoma -- First responders believe a Tulsa woman saved another woman's life by simply making a phone call.

Elaine Myers spotted an abandoned wheelchair on the side of the road last week. Countless other drivers kept going, but she called 911.

The owner of that wheel chair was nearby in a drainage ditch. If not for the good Samaritan, authorities believe she would have died before she was found.

The stretch of Admiral where it happened is part of Elaine Myers' daily route home after she picks up her three children. But last Wednesday, something caught her eye, an abandoned motorized wheel chair.

"I don't know. I just had a feeling that something wasn't, it just didn't seem right to me that it was there on the side of the road," said good Samaritan Elaine Myers.

Myers called 911, and then went one step further. She parked, and got out to see if everything was alright.

The wheelchair was on the side of the road, which Elaine found odd. That's when she decided to wander down to the chair and check things out. To her surprise, she found a woman lying face down in a ditch.

"I was just shocked, to be honest. I didn't expect to find anything, other than the abandoned wheelchair," Myers said.

Authorities aren't sure exactly how the 66-year-old ended up in the ditch, but say she would have been in serious trouble if Myers hadn't stopped.

"Given the frigid temperatures that day, and being partially submerged in water, I don't think she would have lasted very long," said 911 operator Terri Poreda.

Poreda was on the other end of the 911 call, and says good Samaritans like Myers are rare. The two had a chance to meet in person Sunday.

"I think anyone would have stopped," Myers told Poreda. "Well I disagree." Poreda responded. "I think what you did was just wonderful. I think we made a good team that day."

Poreda wishes more people would call 911 in similar situations. Myers says she didn't do anything special. She simply followed her intuition.

"Just stop. If something in your heart, your gut if you will tells you that something's not right, check it out," Myers said.

Authorities say the woman had been stuck in that ditch for at least twenty minutes before she was discovered.

Poreda hopes to get Myers at least some recognition for her act. She plans to nominate her for an American Red Cross Everyday Hero Award.