A heartwarming reunion between a Dallas man and the woman who rescued him from a burning car last month was made possible through a nationwide effort.
Dennis Brown has had two brushes with death. The first was a shooting that left him paralyzed from the waist down at the age of 22. The second occurred just last month when the 58-year-old’s car went up in flames.
“I had rented a car from Enterprise equipped with hand control. I have been in the car several times. It seemed like the car was about to give out,” Brown told Fox 4 News KDFW. “I looked up. The front end was on fire.”
Luckily, his nightmare didn’t go unnoticed. Tammi Arrington, a 42-year-old resident of Mississippi who had been helping a friend move to Dallas, sprang into action once she saw the car ablaze with someone inside.
“She said, ‘Get out of the car,’” recalled Brown, according to the New York Post. “I said, ‘I can’t, I’m in a wheelchair.’”
Arrington managed to get both Brown and his wheelchair out of the fiery vehicle.
Brown’s mother later went over to Arrington’s friend’s house in Dallas to thank the woman for saving her son, but in her emotional state forgot to ask the rescuer her name. Brown was left wanting to thank the heroic woman who risked it all to save him.
“I’d like to appreciate her for her heroic act,” he had told Fox 4 in hopes of spreading the story and finding her. “She went into harm’s way to save me. Dragged me out. I’d like to thank her.”
“Life is beautiful, even from a sitting down position,” he added.
Thanks to the story spreading among the public, Arrington eventually caught wind of it, and a talk show reunion was arranged on October 17.
Although Arrington downplayed her heroism, claiming that anyone would have done the same thing in her situation, Brown remained emphatic in his praise.
“Tammi, you’re a hero,” said Brown. “Words are not enough to describe you saving my life.”
As they left the show, both Arrington and Brown vowed to remain in touch.