Man Who Helped Hit & Run Victim: 'I'm Not Batman'
DENVER (CBS4) - The search continues for the driver in a hit-and-run accident at a busy Denver intersection.
A man crossing the street Wednesday night at East Colfax Avenue and North Ulster Street is still in the hospital and that victim might not have survived were it not for the quick action of witnesses who knew the victim.
Adam Chapman and his wife got off the bus to cross the street to work and happened to see their friend crossing the other direction. They watched in horror as a car hit him, and what they did afterwards likely saved his life.
Joe Corey was tending bar at The Hangar when he heard the commotion and ran outside.
"Adam was sitting in the middle of the street holding Catfish's head and legs. A car almost clipped him," Corey said.
Catfish is John Higgins, a beloved fixture at The Hangar, and a friend. He had just left the bar and Chapman was just about to walk in it to start his shift.
"I just happened to look up and see the car hit him. So I ran over to him, picked him up, held onto him," Chapman said.
Cars on Colfax cruised by them, nearly hitting Chapman. But his only focus was keeping his friend alive.
"There is no choice. My friend got hit by a car. I'm going to save him," Chapman said.
The driver who hit Catfish didn't stop, but Chapman was able to give police an accurate description of the white Dodge Challenger. He says he hopes that driver's conscience will prevail.
"Whoever was driving the car should own up to what you did. Own up to your mistake," Chapman said.
"I don't know how anyone could morally take off knowing they might have taken a life," Corey said.
The driver could have taken Catfish's life if it weren't for the compassion and quick thinking of his friend.
"He definitely saved his life," Corey said. "He would have probably been ran over and killed. I'm sure he would have."
"I'm not a hero. I just saw somebody in trouble. I'm not batman," Chapman said.
Catfish has a long recovery ahead of him. He has multiple fractures and a head injury. He had surgery Friday and will be in the hospital for at least another week.
