A Tauranga family is praising the exploits of a passing stranger who came to the aide of a woman critically-injured in a car crash.
Margaret Gunderson was on her way to pick up her grandson when another car smashed into her near the Fraser Cove shopping district.
- Body found in water near bridge crash site in Tauranga
- Woman dead after falling off back of motorbike in Tauranga
The crash broke her neck, back and ribs but it could have been worse if not for the help of passing strangers.
After a man named Leon Searle disconnected the car's battery to prevent the chance of an explosion, Margaret was comforted by a woman her family now credits with saving her life.
Margaret's daughter Sheree says the woman, Angel Mulu, was a real life angel for her mother.
"I was brought to tears when I heard my mum tell me that she had a real-life angel called Angel sitting by her side.
"She told me you kept her calm and filled her heart with love... I needed to track down the sweet golden heart who literally kept her alive."
The Project was able to track Mulu down to get her version of events that night. She says Margaret stopped breathing when she told her her name.
"At that point it was just me there - and I didn't know what to do, so I was screaming at her," Mulu explained.
"I was telling her 'come on Margaret, you've got to get through this, you've got to wake up'... and then she woke up. The first thing that she said to me was 'how's the other driver?'"
Margaret was rushed to Tauranga hospital and placed in an induced coma. She is yet to wake up and is in a critical but stable condition, according to Sheree's Facebook page.
"We want to let you know Angel, that you have a forever space in our hearts and we will never forget what you've done for our mum," Sheree posted on Facebook.
"As soon as she is out of the coma and awake, we need to get you up to visit mum so we can all squeeze the shit out of you with hugs to show our appreciation."
Police are still looking for any witnesses of Margaret's crash on Fraser Street in Tauranga around 8:50pm on May 2. They are hoping the drivers of a black Ford Ranger and a black Mazda Premacy van come forward.
Newshub.
