A Highway Crash. A Life-Threatening Injury. A Hero Who Ran Toward Danger

August 7, 2025

A crash. A stranger running toward danger. A life saved.

When a motorcycle crash left a woman with a traumatic leg amputation on a busy San Diego freeway, U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Sammuel Goodwin didn’t hesitate.

He grabbed his medical bag, sprinted across four lanes of moving traffic, and used his training to save her life before emergency crews could arrive.

Sammuel Goodwin and Melinda Gurrola / Dept. of the Navy Medicine

It happened the night of July 12, along I-805 north between the H Street and Bonita Road exits. Melinda Gurrola had been thrown from the motorcycle she was riding with her husband, Silverio, and suffered a severe below-the-knee amputation. Silverio was also injured and lying on the pavement. As cars continued to speed past, Goodwin—who serves with the 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division—saw the crash and acted instantly.

He pulled over, grabbed two tourniquets and his medical kit, and ran nearly 150 yards to reach the couple.

“When I got there, I could see she had a below-the-knee amputation of her right leg, with a pool of blood under it,” he said. “The belt wasn’t stopping the arterial femoral bleed. She was fading fast.”

Goodwin applied a combat tourniquet above the wound, instructed bystanders to help with lighting and to look for the severed limb, and wrapped her injuries to control the bleeding. He followed the M.A.R.C.H. protocol—addressing bleeding, airway, and other trauma priorities—and discovered a second wound on her other knee, which he packed with gauze.

The severed limb was located and carefully preserved for potential reattachment. Goodwin stayed with Melinda for over 20 minutes, continuing care and working alongside paramedics once they arrived. One trauma surgeon later said Goodwin’s wound care was among the best he had seen.

“The level of risk involved was extreme,” said witness Kailah Rose. “There were no barriers, lighting was poor, and cars were not slowing down… I watched in awe.”

Goodwin downplayed his heroism, crediting his faith and fellow corpsmen.

“By God’s grace I was there with my gear on time and did not get killed in the process,” he said.

At their recent reunion at Hillcrest Medical Center in San Diego, Melinda finally got to thank the man whose courage helped save her life.