Mercedes Boggs was on her way to work when her car hit a patch of ice, flipped upside down and slid down an embankment into a creek.
Trapped in her car, Boggs began to regain consciousness as freezing cold water began to pour into her car.
Kentucky coal miner John Burke was on his way home from work when he saw her vehicle and knew he had to help. Burke started to approach the vehicle and that’s when Boggs knew everything was going to be all right.
“When I saw him, it was just like everything was fine,” she told WVLT News-8 “I wasn’t even scared anymore. I just knew that that was like my saving grace.”
Boggs was rushed to the hospital without knowing the name of the man who had just saved her life. She shared her story on Facebook hoping someone would find the name of the person she now considers her guardian angel.
“… Please please share this in hope to help me find the man that saved my life, I owe him deeply. I would just like to speak to him. Without him, this situation would’ve been much different.”
By the end of the day, Boggs’ post was shared around 900 times. Burke saw it and messaged her where she said he downplayed his role in her rescue and doesn’t consider himself a hero. Boggs and her family could not disagree more.
“Kids look up to like batman and superman and like those superheroes. That’s how I look at John now. He will forever be my hero,” told WVLT. “He was the person that saved my life.”