IRMO, S.C. — Dave Ruddle decided to take his bike out for a ride last week and a neighbor saved his life.
“It was a beautiful day like today and I felt very energetic so I said ‘I think I’m going to go for a bike ride,’” Ruddle said.
Not long after he left his neighborhood, things went downhill for Ruddle as he went uphill.
“I got to the hill in front of the police department, which was more than I can handle," Ruddle recalls.
He said he stopped and put one foot on the ground and tried grabbing the handle brakes, but they did not hold. The bike then started going backwards. That's when Ruddle said he "had to bailout," and fell onto an embankment by the road where his head under his helmet came into direct contact with a rock.
"It cracked my helmet, and this helmet saved my life," Ruddle says while showing us the now-cracked helmet he was wearing.
Town of Irmo Public Service employee James Massalou happened to see this happen and was quick to react.
“He made sure that I was OK before he helped me up. He called Whitt Cline who had a truck and they came and loaded up my bicycle and brought me home. They were right there for me. They had work to do and busy things to do but they took their time and came and helped me and made sure I was OK," Ruddle says, "I’m very thankful.”
Ruddle posted to Facebook praising the two men that helped him out and found out their names through the comments. Street Squad arranged a reunion on Friday.
Hugs and thank you's were exchanged along with recollections of the accident and Ruddle told the two he has decided to donate his bike.
"Gonna move to skateboards?" James Massalou replied.
If you have any story ideas or information on things happening around town, contact us at StreetSquad@wltx.com or tweet us using the hashtag #StreetSquad19.