Woman involved in 23-vehicle crash near Algodones gives testimony

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – A woman involved in a multi-car crash between Albuquerque and Santa Fe a few weeks ago describes the frightening scene. Now, she wants to thank the good Samaritan who helped her family. “In a second, we hit something in front of us,” Antoinette Cannon said.

On June 19, Cannon said his family was heading north on I-25 when the unthinkable happened. “It was really dusty. Visibility was zero,” Cannon said.

According to Sandoval County, a dust storm north of San Felipe Pueblo caused a 23-car pileup. Cannon and her family were just a few of the dozens of people involved that day. “My 4-year-old and 9-year-old daughters were crying hysterically. They were saying, ‘Mom, you have blood everywhere,’” Cannon said.

Cannon said her three children suffered only seat belt burns from the crash. Her knees, however, hit her dashboard and were cut. “My windshield was about four or five inches from my face when I opened my eyes. The driver's side was dented, so I was a little cramped inside,” Cannon said.

She called 911 because she smelled gas. “I didn't know if I could move my lower body, but I knew I had to get my kids out of the vehicle to safety,” Cannon said.

She knew she couldn't do it alone. She started waving her hands, hoping someone would see her. That's when a man came to their aid. “I said, 'Sir, there's gas coming out of my feet, I've got blood everywhere, I don't know how badly I'm hurt, but please get my kids out,'” Cannon said.

The man got the children out of the car and tried to open the driver's side door, but it wouldn't budge. “He asked me if I could climb in the passenger side. I was just thinking about my kids and I knew they needed me,” Cannon said.

Cannon pushed herself to the passenger side. The man helped them into his vehicle across the road until an ambulance arrived and took them to the hospital. Amid the chaos, she never learned the man’s name. “The fact that he put his emotions and feelings aside to come save me and my kids means a lot to me,” Cannon said.

She still has a long road to recovery, but she's glad things haven't gotten worse and wants to thank the good Samaritan for what he did. “He wasn't involved [in the crash]”He was just a good person,” Cannon said.

Doctors discovered a hairline fracture in Cannon's hip, and she required stitches in one of her hands, but she is recovering.