Woman rushed to help after fiery South Seattle crash



SEATTLE -- A 3-month-old baby remains in the hospital one day after two cars collided in South Seattle. The accident sent two other adults to the hospital; one from each car.

“I heard the brakes first, the screeching of the brakes and then a big bang,” says Sheryl Stepiton.

She was in the right place at the right time.

“I ran to the passenger side and I was like 'Are you ok?' and she was struggling trying to get out. I didn’t see the other vehicle at first, but I saw the black car because it was way down here,” says Sheryl.

Sheryl says she helped a woman behind the wheel of the mangled car.

“She was a bit disoriented and she was hurting pretty bad. She was already in tears and she couldn’t walk,” says Sheryl.

She says she had to move quickly.

“There was a flame underneath the vehicle so all I knew was we had to get away from the vehicle. I was like I don’t feel like being in an explosion today, come on we got to go! And I wouldn’t leave her. I couldn’t just see leaving her there,” says Sheryl.

If you’re wondering how she found herself, in this spot at that moment, it’s because she lives just up the hill, in a tent under the highway.

“I’ve been homeless for about two years,” says Sheryl.

She says she feels safer there as opposed to other spots around the city. She came here from Alaska looking for work, but that hasn’t exactly worked out.

“It’s embarrassing at times, you know, even admitting that I’m homeless, but it can happen to anybody,” says Sheryl.

She says her main goal is housing; a safe place where she can live with her little dog, Two Paws.

“So yeah, we are trying to get things together where we can get out of the streets. Hopefully it won’t take too long,” says Sheryl.

In the meantime, she hopes the woman she met Wednesday afternoon is doing alright.

“I guess I didn’t really realize the seriousness of it until everything kind of settled down,” says Sheryl.

Sheryl says she did what she felt was right.

“I like to help people. I do, I help a lot of people,” says Sheryl.