This past Thursday, a 67-year-old Oakland driver crashed his white GMC SUV into the Sacramento River around 10 a.m. — but he was swiftly saved and carried ashore by a thirty-something who came across the scene.

The Bay Area is no stranger to automobiles going off cliffs, bridges, and even beaches, sometimes ending in the death of those inside those vehicles. A recent car plunge off the intersection of Twin Cities and River roads and into the Sacramento River could've ended far worse had a good samaritan not taken it upon himself to wade through the waters and save an elderly man.

According to KRON4, 39-year-old Chris Arias, an Antioch resident, saw the older man’s GMC go into the water — having suffered a medical emergency that left him unable to temporarily control the car — and immediately jumped into the river to help him.

“There is no way out when you are in the river like that," Arias said to the news outlet. "That’s a death trap."

Before the 39-year-old jumped in the water, the man driving the car was seen on the roof of his car (as his car began sinking deeper into the river) and saying he didn't know how to swim; he was, effectively, stranded.

“I’m just glad I had it in me to do it, I have never been around that situation,” Arias told the news outlet. "When you see another human being in need in a time like this, your instinct should always automatically be to help. Someone has a grandpa or brother or a family member that’s alive right now because of Chris.”

The unnamed elderly man didn't suffer any injuries from the accident but was waked to a nearby hospital as a precaution after being rescued, according to CHP.

Related: Crashed Prius Remains on Fort Funston Beach After Christmas Day Cliff Dive

Woman Identified As Driver Who Was Seen On Video Driving Off a Cliff on Highway 1

Image: Screenshot via Google Maps