‘It’s just human instinct’: Man who shielded teen in West Valley auto-pedestrian accident speaks out

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (ABC4) — A week after two pedestrians were hospitalized after being hit in back-to-back accidents, one of them is speaking out about how he was hit while trying to help. According to West Valley City Police Department, a juvenile was hit at the intersection of 4700 South and 5600 West. A witness came by, and the juvenile was hit a second time by a separate vehicle, which also hit the witness. The witness suffered a broken leg, and he and the juvenile were taken to the hospital. That witness is Armando Patino. He saw the juvenile get hit right in front of him, and he jumped out of his car to help, not thinking that he was also putting himself in danger by doing so. "Basically, it's just human instinct. That's why I couldn't just leave," he told ABC4. "It happened right in front of my eyes. It's a kid, it was early in the morning, pretty sure if I didn't stop, another car could have easily missed him and probably [hit him] again." He was on his way to work when the first crash happened. He was sitting at the light, waiting to turn left when he saw a teenager crossing the street right in front of him. Another car was turning left, and it struck the teen. "I got out, called the cops, and was trying to help him, but he was in pain, so I tried to move him, but he told me he was hurting, so I didn't move him," Armando recalled. "So, while I was talking to 911, cars kept going right next to us, and then by like the fourth car was coming straight our way." Armando tried to get the driver's attention, but for whatever reason, the driver wasn't looking. "The car did not see us. I was waving, I had my phone in my hand, and I was waving, waving, and in a split second, I realized that he's not looking at us, so, that's when we got struck," he said. The second car hit Armando first, and then the teenager. "Then after that, all I remember seeing... I tried getting up, but my legs just weren't... I couldn't, and then all I remember is just seeing a black SUV. Then after that, two other people came, helped us." They tried to help Armando out of the road, but he said he could not put any weight on his legs. Then the ambulances arrived, and both Armando and the teenager were taken to the hospital. Armando said that after driving off initially, the driver of the first vehicle returned and cooperated with police. The second vehicle, a dark SUV, fled the scene. Police have since told Armando that the case is still open, and they're still looking for the driver. "I was basically just thinking about the kid," Armando said. "I mean, he... Out of the both [of us], he got it worse, and hopefully he's doing okay." Armando was left with a broken tibia, a fracture in his knee, and lots of bruising and swelling, he said. He doesn't know if he's going to need to have surgery, but he'll find out at an upcoming doctor's appointment. "It's sad to see things like this, because I could not just take off and leave him there. Especially me witnessing it, right next to me," he said. "I hope people just slow down a little bit more and start paying more attention." He's starting to feel better, and he's starting to be able to walk a bit. His injuries mean that he can't work right now, but he said that his coworkers and his boss have been so supportive. His boss even organized a GoFundMe to support his recovery. Another reason Armando felt the need to stop and help, he said, was because he also has a son, who is a bit older than the boy who was hit. "I just imagined that was my son, you know, so I would hate for somebody- If that happened to my son, and somebody would just take off and not help," he said. He hopes that people will slow down while they're driving. "Pay attention, slow down, and watch out for the kids," Armando said. "With everything going on out there, it's time to be more united. Take care of one another no matter what."