Woman meets the ‘guardian angel’ who saved her brother from fiery crash

A man hailed a hero for pulling a person away from a dangerous car crash got to meet his family. He risked his life to save a complete stranger from what became a fiery crash.

Steve Daria was having a drink on his balcony when he saw a crash off Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs. He didn’t know who was in the car when he ran down the steps toward it. But, because of his actions, a sister still has her brother.

“You’re my guardian angel. You’re my brother’s guardian angel,” Bonnie Burrus said. “I feel like God put you there for a reason. I really do.”

Burrus immediately went to hug Daria Friday when she got to meet the man who saved her brother before his car erupted in flames.

“You saved the love of my life,” Burrus told Daria. “You’re a good man.”

Since that scary night, Burrus felt the need to lay her eyes on the person she loves but never met. It’s why she asked us to help find him.

“I could either, right now, be attending my brother’s funeral, but, instead, because of you, I’m sitting in his hospital room, and I’m feeding him pudding,” Burrus said.

Daria feels the love for Burrus too and knows they’ll always be connected.

“She’s a pleasure, and I’m looking forward to meeting her brother,” Daria said. “Seriously, I really am.”

Daria now has a new friend, a new photo, a new mug, a card and some cash for a steak.

No longer strangers, Daria and Burrus have a connection, a story and love unlike any other, but, perhaps, they’ll always see one thing differently.

“I think anyone would’ve done the same thing,” Daria said.

But Burrus is not so sure about that. There was a real risk to save her brother, but Daria ran toward him rather than away.

Watch WINK-TV at 6 p.m. to learn more about what Steve Daria saw when he approached the crash, and we will also update our web article.