Man Hailed as Hero After Rescuing Family, Willowbrook Residents, from Van

By SCOTT VIAU (Patch Staff)

Photo: Mike Roberson

A Naperville man suffering from his own personal tragedy took time to help rescue a family whose van rolled down a hill, leaving the family, some of them from Willowbrook, trapped in the car upside down in a pond.

Mike Roberson, 40, wasn’t having the best week. He recently lost his uncle and soon he would learn his home caught on fire, killing his cat.

But his personal loses didn’t stop him from helping out other people. According to a report from The News-Gazette, Roberson was on his way from his uncle’s funeral in Memphis Wednesday night when he a van fishtailing in front of him on I-57.

• See more on this story: Willowbrook Man Dies, 8 Injured in Rollover Crash in Champaign

“I was about 200 to 300 yards away. I slowed down to see what would happen. It looked like she almost gained control, but at the last minute, she went off in the ditch on the right side of the road. I slowed down to see if it would come to a regular stop and it started rolling,” Roberson told The News-Gazette.

Roberson ran down the hill to the pond where he saw the van upside down in the water. There were nine people inside.

Roberson said he could just hear screaming and that’s when he jumped into action.

“I started grabbing the hands that were out the back window. I pulled them out and they kept yelling for their mama. She had her face up and kept looking at me and looking at the kids and she was screaming,” Roberson told the newspaper. “I couldn’t understand her. She had that look: Save my kids.”

Despite some trouble getting the mother, Farida Rajkotwala, 45, out of the car, he was able to pull her out.

“I couldn’t open the side sliding door. I opened the driver’s door and she was hanging there. I was able to reach underneath her. It took a minute and I finally got her seat belt undone. She fell into the water and I pulled her out,” he said in the article.

When Roberson was having difficulty getting other people out of the car, he flagged down a passing motorist who called 911 and troopers showed up just minutes later. Troopers were able to get the grandfather out.

Unfortunately, Rajkotwala’s husband, Murtuza Rajkotwala, 43, of Willowbrook, died in the crash. His wife is currently listed in serious condition. The rest of the occupants were not seriously injured.

“It’s scary to think what would have happened if I hadn’t seen it happen,” Roberson told The News-Gazette. “The cars couldn’t see the van over that hill.”

To read more, visit The News-Gazette.