Bailey Cross and fiancé Brandon Bushaw, both from Fort Worth, were saved by an unknown man after icy road conditions caused them to crash their car on February 2.
In Newark, 23-year-old Cross and 21-year-old Bushaw were traveling home from work in their 2021 Infiniti sedan on County Road 4757. According to Wise County Messenger, they lost control at a curve, drove over the guardrail, and landed in the West Fork of the Trinity River, where they began to sink.
A witness who happened to be nearby jumped into the river and pulled Cross from the vehicle, bringing her to safety. According to a GoFundMe page, the man broke the sunroof to rescue Cross after the vehicle was already submerged under the water.
The good samaritan tried to save Brandon but could not get to him. He called 911 to report the accident and expressed that Bushaw was trapped underwater.
Boyd Fire Rescue and Wise County EMS arrived at the scene. Swift water technician, Aaron Mann, dived into the river to rescue Bushaw, who was trapped underwater for around 45 minutes.
Before leaving the scene, paramedics had managed to get a pulse, though Brandon was unconscious.
The unidentified man who had saved the couple’s lives, however, was nowhere to be found.
Lieutenant Jacob Owens commented, “I just saw him run across the road. He was in the cold water. I was pulling in with our engine; I saw him coming up over the edge of the bank and [he] just took off toward his truck to get warm. Even before I [could] make contact with him, he’d left the scene.”
Owens believes the man was driving a black Chevy Silverado pick-up truck, according to Fox 4.
Cross later expressed, “I passed out in the car, the next thing you know, I had EMTs over me, and the man wasn’t there whenever I woke up, so I don’t know who it was. I haven’t gotten to see him yet.”
First responders transported Bushaw and Cross to the Wise Health System. Cross was discharged after two days, but Bushaw was moved to Fort Worth’s John Peter Smith Hospital.
Bushaw, who was in critical condition and needed a ventilator to breathe, was placed into a medically induced coma to slow his brain activity and allow him time to heal. He remains in the coma, but has made tremendous progress while recovering in the hospital.
His father, Richard Bushaw, said, “One day he opened up his eyes, then he moved his arms. It’s a slow process, but he today is getting a little bit better. We feel like he’s going to make a full recovery.”
The father expressed gratitude for the man who saved his son and future daughter-in-law’s lives.
“I have no idea who he was, but I owe that man everything. He risked his own life to go in there because it was very cold at night. He could’ve died himself,” Richard continued. “Again, thank you, because if it wasn’t for him, they both would be dead … and our two grandkids wouldn’t have parents right now.”