EXETER, R.I. (WLNE) — A normal Monday morning commute to work quickly took a turn for Dan Toussaint.
“I was actually getting ready to text Dan to tell him there was a bad accident on 95,” said Edward Yazbak, Toussaint’s father-in-law. “Because I know he comes that way and I know he would be leaving to go to the academy.”
Toussaint, a resident of North Smithfield and recruit for the Coventry Police Department, saw a car collide with a tractor trailer a few hundred feet in front of him on I-95 North near Exit 9 in Exeter.
His first instinct was to step in.
“It doesn’t surprise me one bit that he would jump back in,” Yazbak said.
Toussaint pulled over and ran to the disabled car to help the victims, but, moments later, another car struck the barrier.
Toussaint tried to jump out of the way.
The car hit the disabled vehicle, which careened into Toussaint, tossing him 40 feet in the air.
Despite the pain, he got up and ran back to the victims, pulling them to safety.
“He is a tough kid and he is a good person,” Yazbak said. “A great father, a great husband to my daughter, and that doesn’t surprise me.”
A 20-year-old Providence woman was killed on-scene, and Toussaint suffered serious injuries.
He is now recovering at the Rhode Island Hospital with five broken bones in his back.
Toussaint’s sister-in-law, Bryanna Halloran, started a meal train to help the family out during this hard time.
“Honestly, I was really taken aback by and surprised by the outpouring of support and generosity and love from people all over the place,” Halloran said. “It is just tremendous to see how many people love Dan and Kacia.”
Toussaint’s wife told ABC 6 he is recovering in the hospital, adding that he says he would do it again in a heartbeat, even knowing the injuries he would sustain.
You can help the Toussaint family by donating here.