Saints defensive lineman Mitchell Loewen was just expecting to have lunch with his wife and son in New Orleans on Sunday, but the day took a turn.
Loewen heard what sounded like “a bomb or an earthquake” and discovered it was actually an SUV that fell four stories from a parking garage before landing upside down on the street. Loewen saw that the driver was trapped inside and rallied others to help.
“There were a bunch of people standing around, but not approaching the car and I was like ‘What’s up, let’s help this guy,’” Loewen said, via the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “I mean, obviously there was someone in there, I wasn’t going to just stand by and watch. It was a life or death situation.”
The group was able to get the car upright after realizing the man couldn’t get out and Loewen was able to wrench the door open so that he could reach the injured driver. Loewen said there was a lot of blood and broken glass, but New Orleans police say the driver is expected to survive his injuries.
“It was like a movie. I just did what I had to do, and I wasn’t thinking about anything else,” Loewen said.
Loewen signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2016 and played two games last season before going on injured reserve in September.