GodUpdates

Quick-Thinking Good Samaritans Rescue Three Teens From Flipped Car After They Were Run Off the Road

April 17, 2026

Quick-Thinking Good Samaritans Rescue Three Teens From Flipped Car After They Were Run Off the Road

Three siblings were driving in Harrison County, Mississippi, when another car forced them off the road and into a reservoir. Stranded and stuck upside down, they screamed for help. Fortunately, many saw the wreck, and at least 12 strangers saved the teens from the flipped car.

Strangers Save Teens from Flipped Car

RELATED: Woman Dies a Hero After Shielding Grandson From Oncoming Car

“When [the car] started flipping like it did, I was afraid we were in for some hard times,” said one good samaritan, J.D. Durant. 

“We pull over, and I see the children are crying and saying, ‘Help me. Help me,” his co-worker, Missy Pearson, said.

“I could hear my brothers screaming, ‘Water is coming in,’ and trying to kick something open,” said the oldest teen, Mariah Gill.

J.D.’s son, James, jumped in the culvert and yanked open a door.

“It was 10 or 15 cars that pulled off, and everybody was in the water,” J.D. said. “I hollered for help, and there was five men right there helping us get the young lady out of the water.”

Stranger Makes Phone Call to Mom of Teens

Missy took Gill’s brothers to her car while they waited for an ambulance. Then she called the teens’ mom, Marie Garside.

Marie said, “The lady told me the car is 100% gone, that it’s in the canal. I said, ‘Are they alive?’ She said, ‘Yes, they’re all alive, but you need to get here.’ It seemed like the longest drive of my life.”

“When the mother come up there? I won’t forget that look for a long time,” J.D. said. “She was just shocked, pale as she could be. Then, when the dad got there, he was the same way.”

A Community Helped Save Kids

J.D. hopes the driver who ran the teens off the road is found and held accountable. Some witnesses even tried to chase after the driver, but it was going too fast. 

“You got good people in life, and you got bad people in life,” he said. “And this guy or lady or whoever done this – these kids are going to be scarred the rest of their life.”

Missy said, “When we left, I felt like my faith in humanity was restored because it was all kind of people out there. Everybody came together as one for those kids.”

These children are fortunate to be in a community that has so many quick and willing helpers. Thanks to these good samaritans, these children are safe and sound.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: ‘Good Samaritan’ Saves Pregnant Woman From Sinking Car, She Then Has Baby On Her Birthday

WATCH: Quick-Thinking Good Samaritans Rescue Three Teens From Flipped Car After They Were Run Off the Road

LISTEN: 6 Times Strangers Became a 'Good Samaritan' and Saved a Life | Twins Have Daughters On the Very Same Day, 'The Greatest Thing'

h/t: WWNY News

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/WHAS11

Michaela Gordoni is an avid reader and part-time globe-trotter. With a bachelor's degree in International Relations and experience in the non-profit world, she has a passion for people and reporting. You can check out her portfolio here.

X

Where would you like to share this content?

Today's Devotional

A Prayer to Make Things Right with God - Your Daily Prayer - April 17

If you have wandered away from God and your spirit has been telling you that something isn’t right, it’s time to make things right with the Lord your God. He is always ready to hear from you; you are only a prayer away.

Read Today's Devotional


Past Stories

April 2026
March 2026