A Timely Rescue: Man Uses His Vehicle to Halt Out-of-Control SUV on I-5
July 18, 2026
A quick-thinking resident of Washington is gaining recognition after using his own vehicle to intervene in an emergency on the interstate, averting potential disaster for a woman experiencing a medical crisis and a young child in the back seat of an errant SUV.
Paul Jackson (left) | Credit: Dantu Evans / Fox 13
Witnesses to the incident on southbound I-5 near Fife, Washington, were stunned as they watched an SUV repeatedly strike the concrete barrier after an apparent collision with another vehicle. It was soon apparent that the situation was more than a mere case of distracted driving.
Paul Jackson, a resident of Roy, Washington, was among the drivers who witnessed the unfolding crisis.
“When I saw the car cut across three lanes, I knew something was wrong,” Jackson recalled. As he drew parallel to the SUV, he could see the driver’s condition.
“Her face was up, out of it, eyes rolled into the back of her head,” he said, also noting the presence of a visibly terrified young boy in a car seat.
“He was scared. Poor kid. He was scared.”
Reacting instinctively, Jackson decided that he must act.
“It was something I didn’t really even think about. I just did it,” he expressed. “Somebody had to do something.”
Jackson expertly maneuvered his Kia Forte beside the SUV, carefully guiding it toward the concrete barrier to bring it to a gradual stop.
“I got her in front and just kind of pushed her on over,” he explained. “I didn’t want anything to go south. I just slowly glided her to a stop, and it worked.”
Footage captured on a cellphone shows the moment Jackson’s car gently pressed the SUV against the barrier until it came to a halt, avoiding what could have been catastrophic.
Once the SUV was secure, Jackson quickly switched the vehicle into park, ensured the child’s safety, and remained with the driver until emergency responders and other helpers arrived.
Jackson joked about the unforeseen delay in picking up his wife’s birthday cake, sending her photos from the scene to corroborate his story.
“Proof that I wasn’t pranking,” he joked. “If you had to have an excuse, that would be a good one.”
Reflecting on the event, Jackson emphasized that his intervention was guided by a higher purpose.
“God put me there to do that,” he said.
He hopes to inspire others to seize opportunities to assist those in need, despite the busyness of daily life.
“You get so many opportunities to do things for other people, but we are so busy… and you pass by and think, ‘Should I have helped that person?'” Jackson said. “This was not going to be that case. I knew I was going to stop this vehicle no matter what.”
Through the actions of one determined motorist, a dangerous scenario was transformed into an inspiring story of rescue and community spirit.
