By Joe Wolfcale
Marin Independent Journal (California)
Copyright 2007 Marin Independent Journal, a MediaNews Group publication
All Rights Reserved
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — Business was a bit slow Monday afternoon at the Busboat, a takeout food joint at the San Rafael Transit Center. And it was a good thing.
Manager Jason Baker had just stepped outside the tiny eatery for a break when he heard the sound of screeching wheels and the ensuing explosion at the opposite end of the normally busy transportation hub.
Baker, 36, ducked back inside the shop, grabbed the fire extinguisher, hustled across the center and rescued two elderly people whose 2004 Jeep Cherokee crashed into a concrete support pillar at the easternmost platform.
“I can remember the woman was laying out of the car, and I reached down and asked her, ‘Can I move you?’” Baker said. “She agreed, so I picked her up and took her to safety. Then I ran around to the front of the car and put out the fire and smoke. Then I got the man out. He was trapped in his seat belt.”
The San Rafael good Samaritan said he couldn’t take all the credit - a man who regularly frequents the center named “Woody” helped in the rescue.
“Then I just went back to work,” Baker said.
According to San Rafael police, the incident occurred at 12:49 Monday, just as the noon lunch crunch in the busy transit center had subsided. Traffic Sgt. Glenn McElderry said it was a miracle no one was injured and no other vehicles were involved.
“It could have been quite tragic,” McElderry said. “If the car hits two or three feet on either side of the pillar, it could have struck several people.”
“I can’t believe it either,” Baker said. “Nobody was there.”
Police suspect the man who was driving may have suffered a medical ailment that caused him to become impaired, leading to the vehicle to jumping the curb and speeding across the bus lanes into the pillar.
According to police, both victims were taken to Marin General Hospital in Greenbrae and were hospitalized with “moderate injuries,” police spokeswoman Margo Rohrbacher said.
The vehicle was totaled. No others were injured. Police declined to identify the couple.
Larry and Karen Retzko had just dropped their daughter off at the Greyhound station when the accident occurred.
“It was a pretty dramatic thing to watch him work,” Larry Retzko said of Baker’s efforts.
“I guess it was my survival instincts,” said Baker, who was raised in Utah but came to San Francisco before moving to Marin. “I’ve been doing this type of thing my whole life.”
After the crash, Baker called his mother and girlfriend of six months.
“They couldn’t believe it either,” he said. “Every day is a new day for me. I just try and do my best. I’ve got a great lady in my life now, so things are good.”
His girlfriend, Elizabeth Lawless - who had come to pick him up after his shift Tuesday - said it’s not unusual for him to help others.
“He always takes care of me,” Lawless said. “I always feel safe with him.”
As he locked the doors to the Busboat on Tuesday night, Baker looked up and said: “If you talk to the couple, let them know I hope they’re doing OK.”