BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — A woman who suffered a medical episode while driving through a busy Boynton Beach intersection last week was reunited Friday with the strangers who came together to assist her.
The driver, Laurie Rabyor, spoke with WPTV and said she was filled with gratitude and joy after the good Samaritans came to her aid.
Rabyor became unconscious May 5 at the intersection of Congress Avenue and Woolbright Road in Boynton Beach.
She said a mix of high-blood pressure medications and fasting for a colonoscopy was to blame.
WATCH THE RESCUE BELOW:
Jannette Rivera, Rabyor's co-worker, was nearby when the emergency occurred that day and waved down other drivers for help.
"I didn't think about my life, you know. I just saw her going to the other car and the other car was going to hit her," Rivera said Friday. And I am like 'Oh no. She's going to get hurt.' But I tried to do my best."
Several good Samaritans then came to the rescue, collectively stopping the car while one person tried to break a window with his fist.
Moments later, a woman grabbed a dumbbell from her car and handed it over to another man, who broke the glass. The dramatic rescue was all caught on a red-light camera.
After the good Samaritans got inside the vehicle, they remained at the scene until paramedics arrived.
Royal Caribbean is donating a six- to eight-night Caribbean cruise and a $2,000 gift card to each of the good Samaritans and the driver who was rescued, police announced Friday.
Each of the people involved in the heroic deed discussed the incident and why they took action to help.
"The moment this young lady running across the street behind a car yelling, 'She unconscious, She's unconscious.' There was no doubt in my mind that I needed to do something," said Army Staff Sgt. Juan Chavez. "It's amazing how everyone came together to help someone that was in need without even knowing the person."
Michael Edelstein said multiple other people came together to help Rabyor.
"I was in the right place at the right time," Edelstein said. "There were a lot of other people involved in this. ... It was at least 20 people, you know, stopping traffic."
David Formica said he was pleased by the teamwork that everyone displayed on that day.
"Perfect strangers just coming together, and what a beautiful thing it was to see," Formica said. "It's so easy to latch onto the negative and the awfulness that's happening around us ... all you have to do is just open your eyes and be aware of all the amazing things happening around us."
Rabyor was overcome by the generosity of everyone in her time of need.
"I just want to thank every single one of you. You were amazing," Rabyor said Friday. "I don’t remember any of it. Just to know that a group of people of all different nationalities and religions and nobody thought of anything like … They all just came together to help."
She said the kindness warmed her heart amid the bad news that is often reported.
"It's so wonderful to see something nice today," Rabyor said.
