Let's Help Improve Veronica's Life After Her Brave Rescue

On May 16th, 2024 a terrible storm came through the Tomball, TX area. I was driving to get home, while at a stop light, a massive oak tree fell on my vehicle, crushing me inside.

I found out later, once the tree fell, 10 cars watched it happen, and turned around. They all left the scene. As the cars were leaving, two cars pulled up and both drivers made the choice to get out of their vehicle and help, both leaving their children to come to my aid. Their names are Veronica Rojas and Travis Lennon.

I was pretty much folded in half as the roof of the vehicle was pressing down on me, I was struggling to breath, trying to understand what had just happened and was in total panic when Veronica came to the passenger side window. She asked if there were any kids in the back – I told her no. As you can see, it was pretty hard to see who if anyone was in the car.

Veronica and Travis were able to pry the passenger door open. Travis left to go get a crowbar to break up the console, as there was no room to get up and over it. Veronica immediately crawled into the vehicle and she undid my seatbelt. I didn’t think it was going to be possible to get out, and the tree was still crushing down on to the vehicle, glass cracking and breaking every second. She grabbed my arms and just kept pulling, encouraging me the entire time to get out. I twisted, and maneuvered, with her helping and guiding me. I got to a position where she and Travis were able to pull me out from the vehicle. I was in shock, now realizing how bad the damage was, standing in the rain, not knowing if I was hurt or not. Travis took me to his truck to sit down and wait for the emergency responders. Veronica went back to her car, where her three young children were waiting for her, and she drove away. I didn’t get her contact information.

We eventually located her through a post on social media that went viral in our community. We met her at a local fire station to personally thank her and heard her story. She stopped at the scene and with her three young children in the car, who were also scared and crying. She said to her oldest son ‘I have to go help that person, you will be okay'. Selflessly, she ran to the wreckage, along with Travis, and pulled me out as described above. She then ran back to her vehicle to be with her kids, and was scared, shook and wanted to get her kids home to safety which is why she disappeared. Veronica is 5’2 and she was able to crawl in and pulled my 6’7 – 265lb frame out of the vehicle. She is a single mother of three and lives with chronic back pain after a work accident cracked a disc in her lower back, so it is even more miraculous for her to do what she did without thinking twice. I am certain if it had been any longer, I would not have survived or have been critically injured. Veronica is truly an angel, and was blessed with the strength and courage from God to come to my aid.

We are starting with a GoFundMe to raise money for Veronica and her family. She is a single mother of 3 children, and is working so hard to provide for them. She has a full time job, but is having trouble making ends meet to make payments on her home, and car, and childcare while she works as many hours as she can to provide a better life for her kids. We visited her home which is in dire need of repairs, as the roof is leaking and the floors are all warped and need replacing. Many people in the community are amazed at her bravery and selfless act and asked how they could help. Please consider donating to help us raise money to make the proper repairs to her home, and if anything is left over we will give to Veronica to help support her family. I’m so grateful for her presence that day, her unwavering faith and her humbleness. I hope as a community, can come together to make her life so much better, as she was brave enough to help spare mine.

Thank you and God Bless

Bryan Pederson