SARASOTA, Fla. (WFTS) — When Archie Suse left his Sarasota home to pick up Chinese food for dinner, he never expected the chain of events that would lead to a new friend.
"The last thing I remember is that I was entering into a curve with a bridge. And I just passed out. The next thing I knew, Alex was standing over me, telling me I was trying to accelerate the car. Alex was telling me, sir, don't do that. The car is not going anywhere. It's not drivable," he recalled.
Alex Strouhal, the man to his rescue, had just passed Archie on his bike. On his way home, Alex didn't skip a beat by stopping to help.
"I'm the kind of person that would stop my car and pick up a turtle and move it to the side of the road while everybody else was waiting behind me. I just believe we should all help each other and animals too," said Strouhal. "I used my bike to slow down the traffic and put it to a stop so that there would be no more collisions happening there. Then after that, I just wanted to see how Archie was doing. And check him over real quick. I wanted him out of the car just in case something else happened to the car. And then we called 911."
But once Suse was taken to the hospital, both men thought that was the end of their journey.
A day after the accident, Suse was scheduled to see a physical therapist.
"I said, 'Oh, my God.' And he said, 'Yeah, it's me, Alex.' That's how the conversation started."
Alex was shocked to see Archie too.
"I read the report that he was in a car accident, and how many Archies were in a car accident the day before? So I figured that was him. So I was anxious to see him."
The chance reunion was one Archie hoped for. He only got Alex's name before he was taken to the hospital.
His primary goal was to figure out a way to thank the man who was at the right place at the right time.
"It was very important, I think, because not everybody would stop. And then an accident like I had. It could have been so much worse. But Alex took the time to stop and take charge," he said.
For the second time, Alex was there to help Archie. A second encounter that felt less like a coincidence and more like fate.
"It's like a miracle. I thought maybe I had gone to heaven. And this was my guardian angel. It was quite a shock to see him. But a welcome one," Archie said.
From those chance encounters comes a new friendship both men will cherish. The next time they see each other will be over dinner.
