Nereida “Nedi” Benitez was a nurse at Sharp Memorial who lived in Temecula. Gary “Chad” Tillman was a Fallbrook resident who drove big rig trucks.
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Both happened to be driving on Interstate 15 last Thursday when they came upon a crash. Each pulled over to help, performing a selfless act that ultimately ended in their deaths when they were struck by another vehicle.
“She’s a nurse, and that’s what nurses do,” said Benitez’s friend and former co-worker Tania Jones. “This was definitely Nedi, and she would do it all over again, too.”
Friends and family are mourning the loss of the two good Samaritans but taking solace in how the two used their final moments to help a stranger.
Benitez, 40, and Tillman, 54, pulled over on the freeway north of state Route 76 around 4:10 a.m. to help the driver of a Honda CR-V, which had run into the back of a Toyota Sienna in one of the middle lanes, according to the California Highway Patrol. The CR-V driver was allegedly intoxicated, the CHP said.
The two reportedly exited their vehicles and went to the driver’s side of the CR-V when a driver in a Honda Civic struck the passenger side of the vehicle. The impact killed Benitez and Tillman.
Jones said she first met Benitez when they worked together at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in one of the COVID units. Despite the dangerous conditions, Jones said the two grew close.
“You could even tell, even under the masks we were wearing, that she was always smiling; that’s one thing about Nedi: her big, beautiful smile,” Jones said. “What you see in all the photos is her positive light and energy.”
Jones said Benitez wanted to eventually make the change over to the emergency room, and — due to the relationship they built during the pandemic — Jones said she and the other nurses helped Benitez take that step in her career.
“She was always very much dedicated to her patients at work and would give you the shirt off her back or be running behind you saying: ‘Hey, let me help you,’” Jones said.
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Joshua McCabe, director of emergency services at Sharp Memorial Hospital, said the staff’s thoughts and prayers were with Benitez’s husband, son and entire family.
“The entire team at Sharp HealthCare is heartbroken by this tragedy,” McCabe said in a statement. “Nedi was a compassionate and dedicated nurse whose commitment to caring for others left a lasting impact on her colleagues, patients, and the community. She will be deeply missed by all who had the honor of knowing her and the privilege of working beside her.”
Jones said it was very much in character for her friend to want to help others, even at the risk of her own safety.
The same can be said for Tillman, according to an obituary posted online.
Tillman was born in Savannah, Ga., and served 12 years in the Marine Corps before becoming a truck driver, according to the obituary.
“Following his military career, Chad found his next calling behind the wheel as a truck driver, a profession that suited his love of big rigs and the open road,” the obituary said.
Tillman was remembered for being a devoted husband and a loving father to three daughters and a stepdaughter, and as an avid Padres fan.
“His family was the center of his world, and he poured his heart into every moment spent with them,” the obituary read.
His family took comfort in knowing his final act “reflected the kind of man he truly was: one who gave of himself so that others might be safe,” the obituary said.
Nearly $15,000 has been raised for his family as of Wednesday in a GoFundMe campaign.
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