Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Former Hog helps lift car to save man
New Orleans Saints defensive lineman and former Arkansas Razorback Mitchell Loewen helped a man escape from a car that had crashed down from the fourth story of a parking structure.
Loewen told Marie Simoneaux of The Times-Picayune he was eating brunch with his wife and 2-year-old son when the silver Mercedes Benz SUV fell from the fourth floor of a nearby parking garage and landed on its roof. After identifying there was only one man stuck inside, Loewen received assistance from about 10 other people to flip the car on its side, and then flip it again so it was upright, but the doors were smashed in a way they could not be opened from the outside.
The incident lasted a couple of minutes, Loewen said. The New Orleans Police Department would not offer specific details on the victim, but police said in a statement the victim is expected to survive.
“It was life-changing, man,” said Loewen, a third-year, undrafted pro who is listed at 6-5, 275 pounds. “I was talking to my wife about this. There’s not many moments that your heart pumps like that in your life.”
Loewen, 25, was dining at the Willa Jean restaurant in New Orleans’ Central Business District at the time. The police department confirmed the vehicle drove off the fourth floor of a parking structure “for an unknown reason” around 1:30 p.m. It remains under investigation.
Loewen said he did have some concerns in the back of his mind about the car blowing up or hunks of concrete falling from above — especially since he could smell and see gasoline leaking as he approached the car. But he said he felt the situation was safe because the car was not running.
“I was more worried about, ‘Let’s get this thing done fast before anything does happen,’ ” said Loewen, who explained why he felt like moving the victim was the right decision. “I just figured, ‘I can’t pull him out like this.’ And, ‘We got to act fast,’ because there’s the weight of a car on a man, and he’s screaming in pain as if he’s dying right before me. And I’m not going to sit there like, ‘Well, can’t do anything, man.’ “
Last season, Loewen appeared in two games before an ankle injury cut his season short.
Shark bait
Aaron Rodgers is going to be on Discovery Channel’s Shark
Week, but one of his fears is … sharks.
But as he told NBC’s Peter King, he wanted to conquer his fear “because I love the water.” Here’s what ended up happening while he dove outside San Diego:
“Seriously. I was terrified. I was just thinking about what the expert they brought in had told me. He said there’s three sharks in the water. There’s the blue, the white and the mako. The mako, if it’s bigger than you, get out. If it’s not, stay in and keep your eyes on it at all times. The white, you look at it straight in the eyes the entire time. The only way it’s going to come near you is if you’re not looking at it. And the blue, he’s going to come right up to you. When he comes up to you, he’s got a long nose.
“So this blue, he literally came up to me. I put my hand on his head. I pushed him down to the right. Nicely, gently. But I was terrified. Honestly, I blacked out. It just came up to me and all I was thinking was, ‘Oh my god, it’s actually happening. What do I do? OK, boom.’ I just moved his head down to the right. But it was fun. I have a different appreciation for sharks now. I’m OK with ’em.”