Man Sacrifices His SUV And His Safety To Protect Pedestrians From Speeding Drunk Driver

November 14, 2019

A driver is being credited with potentially saving the lives of a number of pedestrians in downtown Montreal on Tuesday afternoon.

Erick Marciano / Credit: CBC

Erick Marciano was stopped in his SUV when he saw a car go speeding through a red light, followed by police in hot pursuit.

Not thinking much of it, he turned left when his light turned green.

But when he saw the car make a U-turn and come barrelling back toward a crowd of pedestrians and construction workers at the intersection, he made a heat of the moment decision.

"I didn't want him to hurt anybody," Marciano told CBC. "I figured, sacrificing a car was really no big deal. And that's what I did."

Marciano drove his SUV over the median blocking the lane in front of the speeding car.

The car slammed into the passenger side of his SUV. Only the suspect was injured.

Now, police are hailing Marciano as a hero for protecting the dozen or so pedestrians who were in harm's way.

Credit: Simon-Marc Charron/Radio-Canada

Marciano said the intersection was busy with people going to the nearby CHUM hospital, workers out on their lunch break and ever-present construction workers.

"It came into my mind, I said: 'this isn't going to happen here'," he said.

Marciano said he wasn't thinking about his own safety in the moment, but was confident his truck could take the hit.

Police arrested the 19-year-old driver at the scene on multiple charges, including impaired driving and driving a stolen vehicle.

Though Marciano's SUV was heavily damaged in the collision, his insurance company told him Wednesday morning they were not holding him responsible for the crash.