A Plano mother whose 4-year-old daughter was killed in a weekend car crash thanked the good Samaritan who helped rescue she and her children.
Jamaika Ross was driving in the High Occupancy Vehicle lane of Central Expressway on Saturday afternoon, headed to Chuck E. Cheese with her 9-year-old son Kelvin and 4-year-old daughters Ebony and Kaliyah.
A man driving a pickup truck swerved into their lane near Legacy Drive to avoid hitting a car that suddenly stopped in front of him, police said.
"He just cut right in front of me,” Ross said.
Her car then overturned.
"The car finally came to a stop,” she said. “Glass was everywhere." She made it out. So did Kelvin. But the two little girls were trapped in the wreckage.
Passer-by Amber Meier stopped her car and ran up.
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"I stopped to help because I knew they were in danger," Meier said.
It was an act of kindness Ross won't forget.
"She was comforting me,” Ross said. “I know she grabbed my baby. She made sure everything was all right."
Meier helped get little Kaliyah out.
But there was nothing she -- or anyone -- could do to save Ebony.
"Didn't know that going to Chuck E. Cheese’s I could lose a child,” Ross said.
But even in the middle of her grief, she wanted to meet the stranger who helped in those chaotic first minutes.
"I just want to thank her and give her a big hug. Thank her; that she had it in her heart to come help me,” she said.
Both mothers contacted NBC 5 and expressed an interest in meeting, so a reporter helped them get in touch.
Meier, of Allen, came to Ross’ house to meet her again in person. Ross ran to the front door when the doorbell rang and gave her a big embrace.
"I remember you,” she said. “You kept me so calm." “I did my best,” Meier said through tears. “I tried my best.” “It’s OK,” Ross replied. “My baby is an angel now.”
Meier knows how it feels. She lost her brother in a car wreck in Fort Worth last year. Ross said she is grateful her other two children survived.
Looking at a photo of the wreck, she said it was a miracle anyone could have walked away.
"I want to thank you so much,” Ross told Meier. “A lot of people wouldn't do what you did. You came to my rescue."
Investigators said alcohol was not a factor in the crash, but plan to refer the case to a grand jury for possible criminal charges against the driver of the pickup.
