Marine saves woman who nodded off, flipped car

A mother’s worry for her sick daughter led to an overturned car in the heart of downtown Marietta, Georgia, on Tuesday.

The 74-year-old driver hit a light pole and flipped her car where Lawrence and Cherokee streets northeast meet in front of the historic Strand Theatre on Marietta Square. No one was injured.

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Police don’t know how long she had been without sleep, bouncing between home and WellStar Kennestone Hospital, where her daughter was a patient. Authorities said the woman nodded off behind the wheel about 4:10 p.m.

“She (said she) just needed to stay awake a little longer to make it to Kennestone, but obviously that didn’t work out,” said Brittany Wallace, Marietta police spokeswoman.

The department posted photos of the scene to its Facebook page Wednesday afternoon.

People passing by reported the flipped car. Before cops could get there, a man and a U.S. Marine Corps serviceman in uniform had pulled the driver out of the vehicle.

Neither man wanted to be identified in the Facebook post.

Wallace said the men told police they were “just there to help, not for the recognition.”

She said crews were out Wednesday fixing the light pole, trash can and planter that were hit.

Cox Media Group