Uber driver dropping passenger off saw strange glow coming from a house — his response saved an 82-year-old
A Northeast Ohio Uber driver, Matthew Certain, is being hailed as a hero for saving the life of an 82-year-old woman, per the American Red Cross. The driver was on his way to pick up a passenger when he noticed an unusual glow coming from a house nearby. His instincts pushed him to check on it and he discovered something dangerous. With quick action and selfless courage, he saved the elderly resident. His response to a seemingly unusual situation and his consistency throughout is being applauded by many. Certain revealed that it was around 10 pm when he dropped off one passenger and was about to head on to his next trip.
Before he could drive away, he noticed a neighboring house. The garage had some “glow” coming through from the window. “Something in my head was telling me, ‘Hey, stop for a second, that doesn't look right,’” the driver recalled. Despite having his trip to get to, the man went out of his way, parked his car and went over to check what it was. As Certain got closer to the garage, he realized flames were burning inside. The house was joined to the garage and the driver knew instantly he had to act fast. When he looked inside the garage, he saw a vehicle and his first thought was that someone could be inside the home, in potential danger.
“While I'm calling 911, I’m running up to the door and just start pounding on it as much as I can,” he recalled. Each second he was there, Certain saw the fire increasing and spreading and was forced to act faster. When the dispatchers answered, he quickly alerted them about the fire and gave them the details. Before they could ask any more questions, an instinct kicked in. “Dispatch can wait a moment. They know what road it's on and where it's at. Let me make sure the people at least answer the door or do I have to kick the door in,” the driver remarked.
He knew the sense of urgency with which he needed to operate quickly and prioritized getting residents to safety while it was still possible. Finally, someone answered the door but Certain was worried even more. “I see this small, 80-plus-year-old woman answer the door,” he recalled. He took serious efforts to communicate that her house was on fire and it was only when he gestured towards the flames that she finally comprehended. The driver knew he couldn’t leave the elderly woman to escape by herself. So he stayed with her and helped her grab her coat and shoes to avoid the snow outside. He also escorted her out of her home.
The woman was taken to a neighbor’s home and the dispatchers sent help moments after the woman was out. “I stayed there all the way up until about 1:30 in the morning. I was there for probably 3 to 4 hours just to make sure that the fire was put out,” Certain said. He even ensured that the woman was able to contact her son, who luckily lived down the road and took her to his home. Though he saved a life and averted a major disaster, the driver humbly said, “I don't see myself as a hero but just a normal human being — somebody who is there to help others when help is needed.”