Good Samaritan: ‘I wasn’t a hero’

Goleta man saves injured motorist from burning car after early morning crash.
By LESLIE DINABERG
South Coast Beacon

At least one alleged drunk driver had a lot to be thankful for this holiday season. Saeid Mahdavian of West Hills was saved from his burning car, thanks to Good Samaritan Robert Mills of Goleta, who leapt out of bed and jumped a freeway fence at 4 a.m. to rescue Mahdavian from a burning 1994 Lexus.

Mills and his wife Sherry heard a noise that “sounded like the trees being crumbled.” It took Mills a minute to locate the crash, which took place on Nov. 26 on the U.S. 101 northbound, north of Glen Annie Road. CHP reports said Mahdavian drifted toward the center divider, then “turned the vehicle sharply back to the right, and in doing so, overcorrected and lost complete control of the vehicle.” The Lexus ran off the right shoulder of the U.S. 101 and overturned in a ditch, adjacent to Calle Real, near the Mills’ residence.

“A lot of times where Calle Real curves, people wreck there. We definitely heard something,” said Mills. When Mills first spotted the Lexus, it wasn’t on fire. “After I called 911, I went back down to see what I could do. The thing burst into flames,” he said. “There was nobody else there. I just thought I had to get this guy out of the car,” said Mills.

“It wasn’t the gas tank that exploded, but it was … big enough that I realized that I had to get him out of there … even the fumes could have got him.” Mills said Mahdavian — who was later arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol — was “kind of semi-conscious” when he found him. “His head was covered with blood and air bags,” said Mills. “I told him, ‘We’ve got to get you out of here, you’ve got to help me out.’ I couldn’t lift him out myself,” said Mills. By the time Mills got Mahdavian out of his car, the CHP had arrived, along with the County Fire Department.

Mills, who works for Raytheon in Goleta, described the vehicle. “That car was mangled, the worst car I’ve ever seen. Every piece was broken. He must have launched at least 80 or 90 miles per hour. (He would) have to fly off the freeway for the car to hit (the way it did), like one of those Evel Knievel jumps.”

As previously planned, Mills and his wife went on vacation hours after the rescue. “I drove very slowly. I really obeyed the speed limit,” he said.

“I wasn’t a hero,” said Mills, “It’s just what anyone would have done. I guess I was just lucky to be there.” Others would beg to differ. And it’s a safe bet that Mahdavian — who was discharged from Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital on Nov. 30 — would too.