By Mary O’KEEFE

It was a typical Wednesday afternoon last week for Artur Poghosyan. He went to work at his office on the corner of Honolulu and La Crescenta avenues then, around noon, headed out for lunch. During his walk back to his office his day turned anything but typical.

“It happened very fast,” Poghosyan said.

As he was walking on the south side of Honolulu Avenue, approaching the intersection at La Crescenta avenue, he noticed a black Toyota had stopped near the sidewalk.

“There was nothing extraordinary to draw my attention. There was a senior couple inside the car. The husband got out of the car,” Poghosyan said.

When the man got out of the car he slipped, losing his footing.

“He fell down,” he said. “The bad thing was he was under the car.”

The man had fallen between the curb and the car. He was not visible to the driver.

“He was under the car and the wife could not see him. She didn’t understand what had happened. The engine was still on … you could imagine what could have happened,” Poghosyan said. “ I was yelling at [the woman driver] to stop.”

When the driver realized what had happened, she immediately got out of the car. Poghosyan began helping the fallen man. There was a concern the man had hit his head so Poghosyan gently helped him onto the sidewalk while the wife called 9-1-1.

The man attempted to stand but he was too dizzy.

“He rested his head on my feet,” Poghosyan said.

Poghosyan kept speaking to the man, keeping him talking, concerned he may have a concussion. The paramedics came and began helping the man.

“I was leaving and the wife gave me a hug,” Poghosyan said.

The wife was obviously upset so Poghosyan stayed and comforted her as the paramedics put her husband on a stretcher to transport him to the hospital.

“The husband wasn’t talking,” he said. “I think he was in shock.”

Poghosyan has only been in the United States for eight months; he is from Greece. He said his response to the incident was just natural to him.

“It happened so fast. He was there then suddenly under the car,” he said. “I think it is important that we help others and we stay calm when there is an emergency.”

  Mary Okeefe