EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — A routine ride to take a friend home suddenly took a heart-racing turn for Keosha Tillman.
"We ran over debris and we realized that it was a car accident. A really bad car accident," said Tillman.
It happened on State Street in East St. Louis around midnight Saturday.
Tillman says a woman in a Black SUV told her a man sped southbound down the street, hit the back of her car and pushed her across the median to the opposite lanes.
"The car was so smashed up and they were screaming. I just immediately ran over to the kids to be able to help them out of the car because those kids were falling out of the car," Tillman said.
She says four boys, approximately 12 to 16 years old, were sitting in the back seat.
The driver, possibly their aunt, quickly got two kids out.
A front male passenger also dashed out of the banged-up car.
Tillman helped the other boys get to a safe, grassy area.
"The youngest child had a bleeding gash on his forehead. The kids were complaining about their backs hurt so the first thing I knew was to lay them on their side. I recently had CPR training and I knew not to lay them flat on their back and the little child said that he was extremely cold, so we had blankets and wrapped a blanket around the kid," said Tillman.
Her friend called 911 and tried to re-direct oncoming drivers.
"Lots of drivers just kept on coming towards us. It was just a really, really sad moment for that family," she said.
Witnesses told police after the male driver collided with the family's car, the man tried to leave the scene but crashed into the Clyde C. Jordan Senior Citizen Center.
Police and paramedics then showed up.
"They surrounded the car. He was the only person in that car. He was trapped and hurt," said Tillman.
The 36-year-old security guard turned good samaritan is relieved the family wasn't seriously hurt.
"About an hour and a half before that crash there was a wedding reception going on inside our center and there were people outside. I'm so thankful to God that no one was outside when he hit our building. As for woman who got out of her to assist that family, it's good that we got good people in the city still," said East St. Louis Townships Supervisor Ricky Eastern.
"I really feel good about helping that family out," said Tillman.
Ricky Eastern says on Thursday he will ask his fellow East St. Louis Township Board members to consider honoring Tillman with a special award or helping the crash victims.