IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Watch this man dive into a moving car to help driver having a seizure

A man from Dixon, Illinois, is being hailed as a hero after he dove into a moving vehicle when he saw the driver was having a seizure.
/ Source: TODAY

He didn’t have to think twice. A man from Dixon, Illinois, is being hailed as a hero after he dove through the open window of a moving vehicle to save the driver, who was having a seizure.

Randy Tompkins was driving his truck on Friday, June 2, when he noticed a car moving on the wrong side of the road headed toward him. In police cam footage of the stunning moment, the slow-moving car can be seen swerving into oncoming traffic when Tompkins, 39, parked his own car, ran across the street and dove headfirst through the passenger-side window.

“I just noticed, I watched him pull out behind the two cars,” Tompkins told TODAY of what he remembers from the bizarre incident. “He was approaching the intersection, and I could tell he was having a seizure then. I waited because I didn’t know if he was going to jerk the wheel or push the gas and that’s why I did what I did. As soon as I saw he was having a seizure I just knew I was going to help.”

According to The Associated Press, once Tompkins was in the car, he shifted the vehicle into park and put two fingers in the convulsing driver’s mouth to prevent him from choking on his own tongue (though WebMD says you shouldn't force anything, including your fingers, into the person's mouth.)

“We want to thank Tompkins for his heroism and for coming to a complete stranger’s aid today,” the Dixon police told NBC affiliate Chicago 5 in a statement.

The officers then ran up to the car and called for paramedics to help the driver, who has not yet been identified. Tompkins waited with the police until the first responders arrived and took the driver to a nearby hospital.

“It just happened so fast,” Tompkins told TODAY. “I didn’t even know the window was open; I just dove. I just went for it.”