Cincinnati Man Finds Hero Who Pulled Her From Creek Crash

Jacqueline Rhodes spent a week searching for the stranger who saved her life, and thanks to a community rallying together, she finally found him.

Brian Beiersdorfer came forward after a Cincinnati news station aired Rhodes' plea to find her rescuer. Viewers who recognized him from the story sent emails with his identity. "I was overcome with emotion, you know, tears of happiness and joy," Beiersdorfer said.

The rescue happened on the rainy night of May 19. Beiersdorfer sat at a red light on Kennedy Avenue when his dash cam captured Rhodes' car shooting past him and disappearing into a creek. The rain was so heavy he could barely see the traffic light.

While other drivers kept going, Beiersdorfer pulled over and ran toward the creek. He found a spot where he could see Rhodes' submerged car in the ditch below. When he couldn't hear her through the windows, he followed the path her car had taken down the embankment.

Beiersdorfer struggled to pry open the passenger door against the water pressure. Once he got it open, he physically pulled Rhodes over the car and out to safety. She said he literally dragged her from the vehicle as water rushed around them.

Beiersdorfer explained why he couldn't just drive away. "I wouldn't be able to sleep that night knowing what that ditch is and what's after that ditch," he said. The creek feeds into a tunnel downstream where Rhodes' car would have been swept.

Sunny's Take

This story shows how one person's courage creates a chain reaction of goodness. Beiersdorfer acted when others didn't, Rhodes honored that bravery by searching for him, and community members connected them both. Each person played a role in turning a terrifying moment into a celebration of human kindness.

The two have now connected and are planning to meet for dinner. Beiersdorfer believes he was meant to be at that stoplight at that exact moment, and Rhodes gets a second chance because he chose compassion over convenience.