Man pushes pregnant wife out of the way to save her as a truck careens toward them
FRESNO, California -- A Fresno father pushed his pregnant wife out of the way as a truck careened toward his family.
Aaron Gutierrez suffered a broken leg and shoulder. Police say him being an alert pedestrian likely saved his whole family. Gutierrez had just left John's Incredible Pizza Friday night with his wife, three kids, and his mother.
They had been celebrating his six-year-old son's birthday.
"It was one of the best nights. And then followed by, as a father, the worst fear," said Gutierrez.
Minutes after he and his family stepped off of a FAX bus, Aaron and his mother were struck by a blue Toyota Tacoma. Police say the driver was speeding and ran a red light at Tulare and Maple and his actions likely saved his pregnant wife's life.
"I pushed her. I think that's why she got the concussion because I just pushed her out of the way as fast as I could," Gutierrez said.
Lt. Mark Hudson of the Fresno Police Department said, "He took the actions that obviously probably saved his wife's life by pushing her out of the way. They weren't doing anything wrong, they weren't in the roadway."
Aaron's mother remains in the intensive care unit. She has bleeding in the brain and a broken back. She was a short distance away from the rest of them when officers say the truck spun out, then into them on the sidewalk.
"This could be a different story right now. He wasn't paying attention and my kids could've been dead right now. It's hard to think about that. You couldn't just wait two seconds you know."
Aaron's wife was knocked unconscious but somehow he managed to hold onto his one-year-old son during the impact.
These avoidable crashes are ones Fresno police are working to stop. Last year officers saw a dramatic rise in cars hitting pedestrians. In 2017, fatal crashes involving pedestrians were up more than 54 percent from the prior year.
This collision had a different ending because of Aaron's gut reaction and sudden movement.
"You don't actually get a chance to think about it. You're hit and the next thing you know you're waking up trying to get to your family as fast as you can."
Aaron's wife and unborn baby appear to be okay. Obviously, the whole family was really shaken.
If you would like to help the Gutierrez family you can donate to their GoFundMe here.
