Lopez spoke to KNSD about the moment.
“She really just wanted to hang on and just feel safe,” he said of the 4-year-old.
After determining that the girl was not seriously injured, Lopez, who has a 2-month-old daughter, said he knew the next most important thing to do was to comfort her.
The firefighter said that he considers what he did to simply be part of his job, adding that any other first responder would have done the same.
“It’s not something I would ever seek out to take any recognition for,” he said. “I know someone else in my same position would’ve done the same thing.”
The California Highway Patrol said the driver of the big rig lost control while driving southbound on State Route 125 and crashed into a metal guardrail. He then crossed into the northbound lanes before striking two vehicles. In one vehicle, a Chevy, were 57-year-old Nancy Bauerlein and her daughter, 29-year-old Jennifer Thompson-Campbell. They were both killed in the crash.
