CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A deadly accident on Highway 359 between Tynan and Skidmore early Friday has law enforcement reminding drivers to be extra cautious when stopping to help someone in need.
In 2016, Corpus Christi Police Senior Officer Travis Pace and his wife were on their way to dinner when they pulled over to help someone. Another vehicle crashed behind their truck and Pace.
"What was very fortunate for me is that a neighbor just happened to come out and was watching cars," he said. "And at some point he yelled very aggressively to watch out and I kind of stood up and jumped. Cleared enough but caught my leg in between his vehicle and my truck which winded up cracking my femur."
Pace said he doesn't regret stopping to help, but he wonders if having a plan would've changed the outcome.
"The priority is your safety, helping them is a good deed that goes along with you being safe," he said. "And successfully doing both -- you know worrying about your safety, worrying about their safety and then helping them and having a good outcome -- that's the ultimate goal."
DPS Troopers working Friday morning's accident said 30-year-old Steven Gamez stopped to pull 22-year-old Marina Ramirez from her car and carry her across the highway to safety when both were hit and killed by a truck.
"It's horrible," Pace said. "My heart goes out to the families, to the individuals that lost a loved one in that experience. For someone trying to do the right thing to try to help. My message is for everybody out there, you know, pay attention and slow down."
DPS Sergeant Rob Mallory said Friday morning's accident is bringing attention to the need for safety when stopping to help during an emergency.
"Several ways people can help in a crash; first one being call 911 and get emergency responders there right away," Mallory said. "You know we do ask people if they're involved in minor crash, if they can move it off the roadway to go ahead and move it off. If there are any sort of hazards that they pass on their travels to notify the nearest law enforcement agencies."
For Pace, he learned two valuable lessons from that night in 2016, to get off the road and have someone always watching.
"Don't just sit there and be hyper focused on what you're doing," he said. "Have an extra set of eyes to watch over you. I didn't plan that but it just happened that someone did that for me out of the goodness of his heart."
Mallory said another important tip as a driver is to always be aware of what's going on the road. He adds that law enforcement will be increased on the roads beginning this weekend to ensure everyone's safety during the busy holiday travel rush.