Saved by a Stranger: Good Samaritan helps save life of Janesville teen

Town of Janesville, Wis. (WMTV) - There are times on the road of life when fate sends us in a direction we never expect. There are times when fate and compassion can be the difference between whether our journey continues, or the road comes to an end.

Janesville Parker High School grad Daniel Marshall most likely would not have crossed the stage to receive his diploma last Friday night, if a good Samaritan and first responders had not all worked together to keep him alive. As his mother Theresa Marshall put it, ”Everyone just did the right thing that night.”

Late New Year’s Eve, then 17-year-old Daniel Marshall of rural Janesville got a call from a friend who had had too much to drink. Daniel had not been drinking, so he traveled the snowy roadways and drove his friend home safely. But on his way back home, Daniel’s life took a terrible turn when he lost control of his truck in wintry conditions on Highway 14 in the Town of Janesville.

At the same time, David Rezin and his wife were driving home in the opposite direction. They saw Daniel’s car slide into their lane and strike the vehicle in front of them. Rezin said, ”He went from his lane into our lane in a second. At that time my wife screamed, ‘Oh, my gosh, we’re dead! We’re dead!’”

Rezin managed to avoid the wreckage. He pulled over and immediately raced to the mangled truck to see how he could help the driver (Daniel).

“It was a horrific scene,” Rezin said. “Daniel’s passenger seat was at 90 degrees. Daniel was slumped over, both of his windows were blown out. I checked for a pulse. He had a very light pulse. "

By a stroke of fate, David has an extensive background in musculoskeletal and orthopedic care, and knew what to do to try to keep Daniel alive and prevent further injury. He opened Daniel’s airway, stabilized his spine, all while gasoline leaked from the truck... and even after Janesville firefighter/paramedics and Rock County Sheriff’s deputies arrived.

Rezin said, ”While they were performing the Jaws of Life, I continued to hold Daniel’s neck. I had one arm through the back window, one arm through his window…and luckily got him all stabilized. It didn’t look good for that first 24 hours or even more than that.”

A Rock County Sheriff’s deputy knocked on John and Theresa Marshall’s early that New Year’s Day morning to let them know their only child was in the hospital fighting for his life.

John broke down in tears when describing how difficult it was to see their only child clinging to life in a hospital bed. He said, “There were 12 days when we didn’t really know what would happen. There were numerous times I wondered if he’d have a life, or what kind of life.”

Doctors shared with the Marshalls just how close Daniel had come to paralysis or worse. Theresa Marshall said, ”Had Daniel moved his head either way, his spinal cord would have torn. “

Rezin’s willingness to stop and help, and to use his medical training to keep Daniel stabilized was critical, as was all the care doctors and nurses gave Daniel through his recovery.

When Theresa looked back on how Daniel persevered through surgery and 40 days of treatment at American Family Children’s Hospital she said, “We’re lucky to have him here. It was really rough…40 days in the hospital. To see him come from where he was New Year’s Day to today, it’s amazing! Absolutely amazing!”

Rezin, the first person to the wreckage, the man who stabilized Daniel in those first critical minutes said, ”I couldn’t have imagined it a few months back. I kind of imagined that we were looking at a situation where he would have been in a wheelchair.” He added, “It’s really something miraculous at this point in time that he’s able to do what he’s able to do.”

Daniel Marshall knows how fortunate he was that the right people did the right thing at the crash scene that night. “I just feel really grateful that he (David) was there…and that he knew what to do and how to do it. I’m just thankful to be here….and alive,” Daniel Marshall said.

Daniel’s also grateful to his parents, who have been at his side through every difficult moment.

“If they weren’t there for me and there for me to talk to, I don’t know what I would have done. It was nice to know they were right there with me, going through all of this,” Daniel Marshall said.

When asked before graduation night what it would mean to see Daniel walk the stage and receive his diploma, John said, “It’ll be wonderful....to be able to watch him and watch the progress that he’s made all along has been super.”

Family and friends cheered loudly as Daniel’s name was read out loud during Friday’s graduation ceremony.

Thanks to a twist of fate and the compassion of a stranger, Daniel’s journey on the road of life continues. He will head to UW-Milwaukee in the fall to study architecture.

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