Neighbors heard a loud noise and rushed to save a man's life. A week later, a curious 'Thank you' sign popped up

Gratitude matters the most when kindness echoes from the most unexpected places, and this, perhaps, explains why Joe decided to thank the "Good Samaritans" who saved him from a fatal accident. In August 2019, Joe was found unconscious after his motorcar crashed into several parked vehicles in Washington, DC The Washington Post reports. Fortunately, some kind people in the neighborhood heard the loud noise of the car crash, and it was their timely intervention that changed everything in an instant. 

Notably, Alphonso and Deborah Williams were chilling at home, watching Netflix and relishing vanilla ice cream, when a sudden, loud crashing sound caught their attention. The minute it happened, Alphonso turned to his wife, saying he feared that someone had hit their cars, parked on the street. Without a second thought, the couple rushed outside, only to discover a man sitting unconscious in the driver's seat. Alphonso was right; the man's vehicle had crashed into one of his cars, too, but instead of worrying about that, he shifted his entire focus towards helping Joe. In just a matter of a few minutes, kind people from the neighborhood rushed to the accident scene, doing everything they could to save Joe's life. As someone called 911, others took turns to perform CPR in hopes of regaining the man's consciousness. An ambulance arrived soon and rushed Joe to a hospital while the Samaritans prayed for his quick recovery.

For a week, nobody heard about the injured man until a sign appeared near the accident site that read, "Good Samaritans of Potomac Ave — You Saved My Life!" Yes, it was Joe, who wasn't sure who saved him but wanted to at least express his heartfelt gratitude to the strangers who stepped in just in time, giving him a second chance at life. Joe, who had suffered from a lethal heart attack while driving, possibly lost control of his car and crashed into other parked vehicles. "My doctor said your quick, immediate, steady CPR action saved me. Today, I am recovering back home. Forever grateful, Joe," he added. Alphonso, who had initiated the quick-response CPR, believed it was an absolute miracle that Joe survived the accident. "You know, the amazing thing about this is that we witnessed a miracle, because he had certainly deceased," he added.

The Williams revealed that they're really worried about Joe and wanted him to be okay. In fact, Alphonso had even tried reaching out to the hospital, asking for Joe, but it wasn't fruitful. However, a week later, he was the first one to find the heartfelt sign and was relieved knowing that Joe was recovering. "This is a great neighborhood — you wake up on a snow day and your front is clean. We have good neighbors. When there’s an accident, they will always pull together," Alphonso said, praising the people in their neighborhood.

Just as the civilians' timely CPR helped Joe following a heart attack, according to the American Heart Association, if performed properly, CPR can actually double or triple the chance of survival of a person who suffers a cardiac arrest outside a hospital. While Joe was saved, the report says more than 350,000 people die of cardiac arrest in the United States alone. If only we had more kind people with better knowledge to deal with medical emergencies, we could save more people globally.