Tragic Accident Becomes Site of Miracles

The two-car wreck near on June 10 was enough to make even the strongest cry: Five young high school graduates, fresh from a rewarding trip to Panama Beach, Florida, were returning home to Huntington, West Virginia when their van collided head-on with another vehicle just outside the town of Opp, Alabama. The twisted wreckage and painful cries from within the van caught the eyes and hearts of passersby -- none the more vital than those of Samuel Roberts, Jr.

The Alabama detective was first on the scene and, without regard for his own safety, immediately stopped to help. Seeing the van's engine compartment was already on fire, Roberts quickly moved to extract the young men from the vehicle. Since the seat belts they were wearing were jammed, he pulled out his pocketknife and began feverishly cutting away at the fabric to free them. Passersby quickly jammed the side of the highway with their vehicles, stopping to assist in any way they could. Some called 911, others threw out bottles of waters and coolers of ice to quench the fire that was burning in the engine compartment.

The outpouring of concerned hearts and hands brought another miracle to the scene in the form of a doctor who, upon seeing the extent of the damage, stopped and rendered his services to stabilize the extracted victims until paramedics could arrive. When the ambulances appeared on the scene, the physician informed the medics of their condition and what he had done, then left without giving his name. Even now, no one knows the identity of that doctor, though he undoubtedly helped to save the victims' lives.

As crews continued to arrive on the scene, the normally-cool Roberts noticed one of the young men was wearing a Marshall University pullover shirt and, in his words, almost "lost it." Roberts was raised in Winfield, West Virginia, not far from where the students were from, and was educated at Huntington's famous college.