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Two men reunite after one rescued the other following rollover crash

A moment of crisis can turn strangers into friends— and show the goodness of Arkansans.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A moment of crisis can turn strangers into friends—and show the goodness of Arkansans.

Two men reunited for the first time since one rescued the other from a car that had flipped over late at night on a deserted downtown street.

Jeremy Matthey and Joshua Price shared a hug Monday afternoon after seeing each other for the first time since Matthey was involved in a single-car crash early Saturday morning.

Matthey said he had been out with a few friends after spending the evening attending an enneagram seminar.

“When it was time for me to go home, took the usual route,” he recalled. “And all I remember is flipping my car and this guy helped pull me out.”

“All of a sudden, it just sprung up into the air,” Price said. “I mean, I didn’t hear an impact, anything. I just, it literally flew up in the air and spun, and I could see the underbelly of it. And it had actually gotten some air, and it just crashed on its side. So, I was actually talking to someone on the phone, and I said, ‘hold on, I literally just saw a car crash, I’ve gotta call 9-1-1.’”

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After a chaotic week as a member of the Pulaski County Election Commission, friends cajoled Price into staying downtown, rather than going straight home following a commission meeting. He happened to turn from Center Street onto 4th Street just in time to see Matthey’s Smart Car flip over.

“I was the only other car around,” Price stated. “I mean, there was literally nobody else on the street at that time. So, I thought, I have to do something: call 9-1-1.”

Knowing the driver in front of him might need more immediate help, Price got out of his car to examine the scene. “So, I came around and looked through the glass, and Jeremy was in there,” he said. “And he was not responsive, so—I don’t know if [he was] in shock, or he was unconscious—but he was kind of just laying there. And so, I started banging on the windshield, and I was like, ‘do you need help? Are you okay?’”

When Matthey came to, Price opened the passenger door, which was now the top of the car, to help him get out.

“Jeremy was trying to, kind of shimmy out, but wasn’t really able to,” Price stated, “so I kind of held the door up with one arm, and kind of propped it, wedged this arm into it, kind of leaned my shoulder into it, stuck my arm in. [He] kind of crawled up my arm. It took us, probably, two or three tries, and then [he] kind of slid down onto the sidewalk.”

Despite the shock of flipping through the air and crashing, Matthey suffered only a few cuts and bruises. Police officers and medics arrived within minutes and they cleared him to go home.

“As much of a terrible and dangerous situation as it was, it couldn’t have worked out any better that he was there,” Matthey said of Price, with tears in his eyes, “and I’m just really grateful.”

Price posted about the ordeal on Facebook the following afternoon. The two have several mutual friends, so it was not long before one alerted Matthey. “After I did see the post,” Matthey mentioned, “I did want to reach out and say, ‘thanks for being a hero.’”

The pair traded messages online, then met for the first time on Monday.

“I’m glad you’re all right,” Price said to Matthey.

“I am, too,” Matthey replied. “I can’t thank you enough, dude.”

“No, seriously, it’s nothing,” Price continued. “Man, he’s gonna make me cry! Nothing that any other human wouldn’t do for another human.”

Matthey and Price both said they do not know what caused Matthey’s car to flip. Matthey went to the impound lot for the first time Monday afternoon to retrieve his belongings and inspect the damage. 

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He said the front right wheel well was badly damaged, leading him to believe he hit something in the road.

Price praised the police officers and medics for their quick response to the crash. He hoped other people would be willing to make the same decisions he did. 

“I’m going to say something my sister always says: ‘God put us on earth to help one another.’ So, if you see someone in need,” he said, “you can’t just turn a blind eye, you gotta jump in and do what you can.”

“I’m blessed that the outcome wasn’t as (bad) as it could’ve been,” Matthey said. “And that people were in the right place at just the right time.”

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