Groom rushes to help at nearby crash scene in Maryland

EASTON, Md.—The newly married couple was posing for sunset photos last weekend at an inn on Maryland’s Eastern Shore when the dreamy atmosphere was broken by the unmistakable screeching of a car crash.

“I heard the squeal of the brakes and a crash, and realized what it was,” Marine Capt. Andrew Cruz said. The 30-year-old from San Clemente, Calif., left the side of his bride, Cara Neufeld, and sped toward the sound. Cruz and others from the wedding discovered an SUV flipped onto its passenger side in a stream that emptied into the cove near the Easton inn.

The side curtain air bag had deployed, so they could only see the driver’s legs and there was no response when they knocked on the windows, Cruz said.

Cruz’s brother-in-law, Brandon Neufeld, said Cruz climbed atop the SUV and used his elbow to break the window.

The unresponsive driver had fallen to the passenger side, but Brandon Neufeld says they could now see that she was not submerged. Cruz spoke to an OnStar operator and as the driver regained consciousness, emergency workers arrived.

The driver was flown to Shock Trauma in Baltimore, according to Maryland State Police. And a hospital spokeswoman said she has since been released.

Cara Neufeld, 28, wasn’t surprised by her new husband’s response. “Andrew’s always the first person to help people out,” Neufeld said.

Cruz had some small cuts on his elbow, but luckily he brought a second shirt to change into, Brandon Neufeld noted.