Lisa Bell, Central Floridian of the Week
 

To quote Governor Charlie Crist, "In times of crisis, ordinary citizens become heroes," and that is exactly what happened when four Central Floridians stepped up and saved the life of Dr. J.R. Harding, a man visiting Orlando in August 2007.

"The best way I can describe my disposition would be, you are on I-4 with cars driving past you, and you're in a canal, and the vehicle is filling up and you are going to drown, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it except pray to the Lord that you are ready to go," Harding said.

Harding was not ready to go, and thanks to the quick action of four good Samartains, he was pulled to safety.

Harding is a quadrapelegic, but is able to move his fingers. He called his secretary, and she started calling for help.

Soon Jim Meade, Ed Griffin, Shannon Josey and Stephen Sundarrao came to his aid.

The four pulled Harding from his vehicle, and even helped him fulfill a speaking engagement that same day.

Meade, who works for Mears Transportation, helped arrange for Harding to get around while his van was being repaired, and News 13 was there when the two met for the first time.

"Jim, it's a pleasure to meet you finally, and thank you," Harding told Meade. "Your company, and the other people in Orlando really saved my life. They got me out of a jam, and to be able to meet you here today under better conditions is just icing on the cake."

"We were just fortunate to have the resources and great staff to be able to jump in to meet his needs, so in that respect, it's something we do every day, but it's always nice to do it when the need may be even greater," Meade said.

"It was incredible, because I was in a foreign town, in a foreign place, and people took the time to respond to a bad thing in a way that we would hope your neighbor would," Harding said.

That is why the four good Samaratains who saved Dr. Harding's life are our Central Floridians of the Week.

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