FBI Agent Among Good Samaritans Who Helped Car Crash Victim

FBI Phoenix
8 June 2020

Jill McCabe | Brooke Brennan
(623) 466-1999

Quick Thinking May Have Saved Woman’s Life

PHOENIX, AZ—On Tuesday, June 2, 2020, Special Agent John Garcia, with the FBI Phoenix Division’s Flagstaff Resident Agency, encountered a serious one-vehicle accident while driving on Copper Mine Road toward Page, Arizona.

The vehicle was teetering upside down on its front end. A bystander running towards the vehicle, informed Special Agent (SA) Garcia that a woman was trapped under the vehicle with a broken leg. SA Garcia immediately grabbed his first aid gear to render assistance.

One bystander was already lifting the vehicle to keep it from crushing the injured woman who was trapped underneath. SA Garcia and another bystander further stabilized the vehicle.

SA Garcia noticed the woman appeared to have two broken legs, one of which was bleeding severely, and she said she felt like she was going to pass out.

He placed a tourniquet on her leg and tightened it to control the bleeding. He and the good Samaritans continued to hold the van up and speak to the woman about her daughter to keep her from passing out, until officers from the Navajo Police Department and EMS arrived. The woman was transported to the local hospital by EMS and has since been released.

“In the FBI, we take our oath to protect and serve seriously, whether we are protecting victims of crimes, or stopping on the side of the road to render assistance and help save someone’s life. It comes as no surprise that one of our agents would respond in this way, SA Garcia truly embodies our commitment to making a difference in the communities we serve,” said Sean Kaul, special agent in charge of the FBI Phoenix Division. “I commend the actions he took that day along with all of the good Samaritans who stopped to help. We would also like to thank our partners with the Navajo Police Department and EMS who arrived and quickly transported the injured woman to the hospital. Working together, in a whole-of-community approach, we can make a difference.”

After the woman was transported to the hospital, SA Garcia continued on to Page, Arizona, where he joined other special agents and local police to serve a search warrant in connection with the arrest of a man who threatened to burn the Page magistrate courthouse: https://www.justice.gov/usao-az/pr/page-man-charged-threatening-burn-page-magistrate-court