Had he driven FM 93 a few minutes earlier, the brawny Puryear never would have seen the April 18 accident that killed one and injured four. Had he come by five minutes later, he probably would have passed the charred remains of Mahler’s pickup.
Had he not stopped to help, the 82-year-old Mahler would have suffered alone inside a burning vehicle.
“I thank God we were there when we were,” said Puryear, of Manor. “I’m glad we weren’t five minutes ahead of them. I thank God that I was there and could help these people.”
Stuck by a broken leg and foot caught on the truck pedals, Mahler could only watch helplessly as black smoke poured from between the windshield and dashboard.
“I knew I was in trouble,” said Mahler, who was driving home to Heidenheimer with his wife, Suma. “When I looked down, I couldn’t get out. I thought that I had to have help in a hurry. I was very happy to see him.
“As far as I’m concerned, he’s a hero,” Mahler added. “He’s the reason I’m still here. The other reason is higher up.”
Puryear met with Mahler on Thursday in the Healing Garden at Scott & White Memorial Hospital, where Mahler is still being treated. They were joined by members of Mahler’s family, who thanked Puryear and his fiancée, Jan Vansa of Cedar Park. Ms. Vansa reported the emergency, called family members and kept traffic away from the scene until help arrived.
The three-vehicle accident near Heidenheimer killed Kathren Turnpaugh, 43, and critically injured her husband, Gregory Landmark, 47, both of Temple. Mrs. Turnpaugh’s Jeep collided head-on with Mahler’s Chevy when she crossed into his eastbound lane in a no-passing zone around 5:15 p.m., said Sgt. Donnie Adams, Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman in Bell County.
Alcohol and speeding appear to have been involved, although toxicology results from Mrs. Turnpaugh’s autopsy have not come back yet, Adams said.
A third car traveling west on FM 93 rolled into a drainage ditch while attempting to get out of Mrs. Turnpaugh’s path, injuring Tanesha Farmer, 30, Adams said. Two others in the Nissan were not hospitalized.
Immediately after the wreck, Puryear and Ms. Vansa came upon the scene on their way to visit her family.
“The truck was on fire and I knew he was hurt and he was pinned,” said Puryear, a truck and crane operator for Austin Energy. “I was trying to get him out as quickly and gently as possible. I got on the passenger’s side on the floorboard, trying to free him from the pedals. He kept saying, ‘It hurts.’ But I told him, ‘I’m not going to let you burn up.’
“He had on a pair of bib overalls, thank God. I got a hold of his overalls and pretty much drug him across the pavement to the other side of the road. He kept saying, ‘Where’s my wife? Where’s my wife? Is she OK?’ Like a husband and a gentleman would do.”
Mrs. Mahler also was hospitalized with injuries.
“They were my personal angels,” said Mrs. Mahler, 80. “They were so giving. I had known (Ms. Vansa) from the past. I remember she called my name and I was still flat on the ground.
“I will be eternally grateful to (Puryear),” she added. “He was really strong and brave and kept on, even in flames. He really took chances because of the smoke coming out of the truck.
“(Puryear) got him halfway across the road when it went up in flames. It was like a picture show. It was just a miracle.”
Puryear, who said he has had a few nightmares since the rescue, embraced Mahler during the meeting on Thursday.
“You look good to me now,” Mahler told him, “but not as good as a few weeks ago.”
