A woman who nearly lost her life after she was struck on a Dallas highway by a tow truck that fled the scene expressed her gratitude to the man who lost his life saving her.
Graciela Leyva said a heartfelt “thank you” on Sunday to the man who saved her and her son on a busy Dallas highway, according to NBC 5 DFW.
The accident happened last week on I-30 near Downtown Dallas.
Donald Collins, 25, stopped when he saw that a tow truck had collided with Leyva’s van, causing it to spin around and face oncoming traffic. When Collins got out of his vehicle to help Leyva and her son, he was struck by a different vehicle and killed, reported NBC 5.
Leyva and her son are both severely injured with multiple broken bones. A family friend stated that the son needed 12 staples in his head.
The driver who allegedly killed Collins was identified as Nelly Martinez-Leal, 33. She has been charged with one count of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault with a vehicle.
“My husband did his part, which is [to] serve. Not just for the world but for the Lord. Everything he did was to honor the Lord,” said Collins’ wife, Elizabeth Collins, at a press conference on Wednesday. “It was his time. [All] of us have a day or time when the Lord is going to call us home, we are on borrowed time, and his time was up.”
Collins leaves behind his wife and 2-year-old daughter, Nola.
The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office is still looking for the driver of the red tow truck and asks that anyone with dashcam footage or information contact them at [email protected] or contact Det. M. Hernandez at 214-589-2343.
In nearby Dallas, there have been 159 homicides so far this year, according to police data current as of August 20. This is a 5% increase from the same period last year.
Complicating the situation is the ongoing staffing shortage at the Dallas Police Department, which is short about 900 of the 4,000 police officers a city of Dallas’ size needs, according to a prior City analysis.
Fort Worth reportedly has a dedicated unit patrolling its downtown area alongside private security guards, which has shown success in reducing crime in the area.