Truck driver Paul Maksim is finally home after a serious wreck, three-week hospital stay, and video reunion with the man who helped save his life.
Maksim suffered serious injuries to the lower half of his body after hydroplaning into an overpass in Michigan late last month. Now, he is home in Rockford, Illinois with his wife, three kids, and a guardian angel.
Isaac Tyson happened to be driving by when Maksim wrecked, and he held Maksim’s hand while they waited for help. He had initially disappeared from the scene without a trace, but the family put out a call, and Isaac stepped forward and even participated in a Zoom call with Maksim, along with offers of more help if he needed it.
“He held my husband’s hand trying to distract him and talk to him like ‘Hey, stay awake with me. Tell me your name. Don’t worry, help is coming for you,’” explained Courtney Maksim, wife to Paul.
“I was just trying to keep him from going into shock and trying to reassure him that he was gonna make it,” Issac said. “I really didn’t do that much.”
Now that Paul Maksim knows who to thank for the life still ahead of him, he has his eyes set on a recovery at home with the family.
“I’m on bed rest for like three to four more weeks,” Maksim said to Fox 17. “And then I’m trying to get into a rehab place to start trying to walk again.”
“I can’t say enough thank yous,” Courtney said. “Just the amount of people who have come forward to help me build a ramp for my house or buy little medical items Paul needs, or just prayers and gift cards and just people encouraging me with their own stories of their tragic stories,” Courtney added.
“There are good endings to things, and I’m positive this will have a great ending because he’s still here. He’s gonna get back to himself. Pretty soon he’s gonna be running again, it’s just a matter of finding strength, he’s got a lot of strength and I know he can do it.”