Good Samaritan honored by Fire Dept. for life-saving efforts after she aids hit motorist

    MERIDIAN, Idaho (KIVI) -- After months of recovery, James Daily of Eagle is reuniting the woman who helped save his life, for the first time.

“I don’t know if I’d be here without her,” said Daily.

“It means a lot that the pivotal things that I was able to do for him saved his life,” said Peterson.

Karina Peterson of Middleton now being hailed a local ‘hero’ after helping Daily remain still and calm in the crucial moments after he was hit by a car while riding his motorcycle.

“She was there for him when I couldn’t be and she acted like a mom. What else could I ask for?” said James’ mom Roseanne Brown.

Friday morning, family and friends gathered at Meridian Fire Station #5 to honor the life saving efforts.

“Karina, it is with great honor that we get to honor you the Citizens Life Savings Award from the Meridian Fire Department,” said J.D. Hendrick, the Division Chief of EMS for Meridian Fire Dept.

Peterson tells me she was leaving work in Meridian the day of the accident last March, when she took a different route than usual, leading her to witness the crash where Daily was hit by a car.

“I saw from the explosion of the car, to the impact. I saw parts fly everywhere, then his body land on the pavement twice. So I knew it was critical,” said Peterson.

With a background in healthcare, Peterson said she knew she had to help Daily when she saw him panicking and trying to move after the crash. First responders say it was her keeping him calm that helped contain his injuries and save his life.

“The only thing that he remembered from the accident was my voice,” said Peterson.

Daily tells me he lost a lot of blood after the crash and was at risk of amputation. After 6 months of recovering in bed, he’s learning to walk in physical therapy sessions.

After first responders brought Daily to the hospital, Peterson said she was thinking about him in his recovery, especially since Daily looks so much like her own son, a connection by fate.

“They say you have a twin in the world – and my son looks just like him. So to see him (Daily) and to get a hug, it’s like giving my son a hug.”

A feeling Daily’s mom Roseanne Brown knows all too well.

“Who’s to say that would have happened if she wasn’t there,” said Brown.