SARASOTA, Fla. — An 85-year-old Sarasota man was able to say "thank you" to the good Samaritan who helped him after a bad crash – who just so happened to be a physical therapist at the same hospital he was recovering in.
Alex Strouhal has been a physical therapist at HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital for more than 20 years, and he is an avid cyclist who rides his bike to and from work multiple times a week.
But one morning recently, Strouhal was riding home when he saw a car swerve, cross a lane of traffic and crash into a bridge.
Behind the wheel was Archie Suse, 85, who was on his way to pick up food for dinner when he blacked out while driving.
After witnessing the crash, Strouhal got off his bike, stopped traffic and helped Suse.
"He quickly assessed him, dialed 911 and stayed with him," leaders with the hospital explained in a news release. "Mr. Suse was brought to the emergency room at Sarasota Doctors Hospital."
After everything settled down, Suse wanted to find the man who helped him but only knew the man was on a bike and the name, “Alex.”
It wasn't until the next day when the good Samaritan was doing assessments on patients in the emergency room when he walked into Suse's room.
Strouhal realized he recognized the patient and knew it was the man he helped after the crash. Suse, who was even thinking about taking an ad out in the newspaper to find the cyclist, was able to thank him in person.
“It’s a miracle, I was able to find him," Suse said in a statement. "A lot of people would not have stopped, but he did and he saved my life.”
The heroic physical assistant remained humble about the experience. When asked why he sprang into action and helped the driver, he said, "That’s what we do here; he needed help and I would do it again.”