A good Samaritan DoorDash driver in Florida has been hailed a hero for saving the life of a motorcyclist who was the victim of an alleged hit-and-run, FOX35 reported Thursday.
Billy LeBlanc, who was making a late-night delivery over the weekend, called 911 after noticing 34-year-old John Powell lying limp in the middle of an intersection in West Melbourne, according to FOX35. LeBlanc is still trying to wrap his head around how somebody could have allegedly left Powell to die in the middle of the street, FOX35 reported.
“I told the 911 dispatcher he was dead, I thought he was dead,” LeBlanc told FOX35. “I wouldn’t wish it on anybody, but I’m glad I was there and was able to help him… I thought I was going to start doing chest compressions.” (RELATED: Video Shows Good Samaritan Land Wicked Cross-Body Block On Criminal Fleeing Police)
A motorcycle rider is out of the ICU days after police say he was left in the street to die after a hit-and-run in West Melbourne. https://t.co/O3RANupYEb
— FOX 35 Orlando (@fox35orlando) September 6, 2024
“I’m glad they caught her,” he said. “That’s the main thing they got her.”
Police said that surveillance video caught 24-year-old Rebekah Tate allegedly trying to dislodge Powell’s bike from under her car before calling somebody to pick her up and fleeing the scene, according to FOX35.
“She left him there to die, like how could you?” Leah Lindstrand, one of Powell’s friends, told FOX35.
Lindstrand, who started a GoFundMe for Powell, says her friend is doing better but has a long way to go to fully recover, the outlet reported.
“Essentially, both of his legs don’t work,” she said. “He’s got one big fracture on the left leg, another on the right leg. I know he’s got rib fractures.”
Powell has made it out of intensive care, something that LeBlanc is grateful for, according to FOX35.
“I’m glad he’s alive. I’m glad he’s a strong guy, obviously, because she hit him hard,” LeBlanc said.
Tate was arrested Wednesday and went before a judge on Thursday, FOX35 reported.
The state set a bond at $17,500 and Tate is expected back in court Oct. 1 to face charges related to leaving the scene and tampering with evidence, according to the outlet.