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[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 11.29.2001]
Stranger sacrifices life to save baby, mother
By REBECCA MCCARTHY
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer
Athens -- One second, he was a friendly stranger, chitchatting with a young mother who had loaded her infant daughter into a stroller for an afternoon walk.
Randy Burris
The next, he had yanked the stroller out of the way of a speeding car, saving the lives of baby and mother while putting himself directly in the car's path.
Two days after the car hit him, 39-year-old Randy Burris died.
On Wednesday, seated in her in-laws' den with baby Nyah cradled in her arms, Heather Carlson talked about the sacrifice the stranger had made and her tangle of emotions since the accident Sunday. She feels sadness for Burris' widow, Lori, and the couple's three children, but joyous relief that her own daughter was saved.
When she closes her eyes, "I can see it all happening again," said the 26-year-old mother. "It all took just a couple of seconds."
How to help
A fund has been established:
The Randy Burris Children College Fund, c/o ARMC, Social Work Services, 1199 Prince Ave., Athens, GA 30606-2793.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carlson and her husband, who were visiting his family over Thanksgiving from Miami, want their daughter to know and understand what Burris did for her. Born on Sept. 11, little Nyah "is a good reminder of God's love," her mother said. "With so many people dying that day, God gave us a special gift because a life was being born. We want her to know Randy died to protect her."
Police say the driver of an Oldsmobile rounded a corner too fast near Burris' home Sunday afternoon, left the roadway and struck Burris.
Burris was standing in front of his house chatting with Carlson, who had taken Nyah out for a stroll. The stroller got stuck as Carlson tried to get her child away from the out-of-control car, and Burris grabbed the stroller from her. Burris was hit as he tried to pull the infant to safety.
When Carlson visited Burris at Athens Regional Medical Center, her hero's wife handed her a stuffed bear for Nyah. "Even with Randy dying, she was thinking of us," Carlson said, wiping away tears.
People who knew Burris aren't surprised that he would place himself in danger to save someone he didn't even know.
Dot Paul / Athens Banner Herald
Heather Carlson and her 2-month-old child Nyah, who were saved when Randy Burris pushed them out of the path of a car.
Vivian Alford, principal of Whitehead Elementary, where the Burris children go to school, recalled, "Randy was always thinking of other people. He was concerned about the staff members and the teachers at our school." Every morning, he would greet the principal and the front office staff as he walked his children to their classrooms.
Workers at the Department of Labor, where Burris set up work opportunities for disabled people, echoed the principal's observations. Burris could talk with anyone, remembering details of their previous conversations, co-workers said.
Georgia Phillips, 38, said she saw Burris at PTO meetings and school functions, and that his two sons are friends with her two boys.
"You always felt if you took your children to his house that they'd be safe," she said. "Just last week I saw him at the school, being his usual bubbly self. He really made you feel comfortable and made you feel he cared."
In Saxon Woods, Joan Postell said Burris was the best next-door neighbor, ready to help at a moment's notice, day or night. Postell was preparing to eat dinner on Sunday, when she glanced out the window and saw a baby skidding across her lawn in what appeared to be a car seat, followed by what looked like a sack of clothes. She didn't spot the driver who had hit Burris as he pulled the baby to safety.
"I called 911 and my sister went outside to see what she could do," said Postell, who immediately began praying. "But there wasn't much we could do."
The driver of the Oldsmobile that killed Burris, Ricardo Arriaga-Gutierrez, 26, has been charged with felony vehicular homicide, DUI and leaving the scene of an accident. He remained in the Clarke County Jail on Wednesday.
Stranger sacrifices life to save baby, mother
By REBECCA MCCARTHY
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer
Athens -- One second, he was a friendly stranger, chitchatting with a young mother who had loaded her infant daughter into a stroller for an afternoon walk.
Randy Burris
The next, he had yanked the stroller out of the way of a speeding car, saving the lives of baby and mother while putting himself directly in the car's path.
Two days after the car hit him, 39-year-old Randy Burris died.
On Wednesday, seated in her in-laws' den with baby Nyah cradled in her arms, Heather Carlson talked about the sacrifice the stranger had made and her tangle of emotions since the accident Sunday. She feels sadness for Burris' widow, Lori, and the couple's three children, but joyous relief that her own daughter was saved.
When she closes her eyes, "I can see it all happening again," said the 26-year-old mother. "It all took just a couple of seconds."
How to help
A fund has been established:
The Randy Burris Children College Fund, c/o ARMC, Social Work Services, 1199 Prince Ave., Athens, GA 30606-2793.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carlson and her husband, who were visiting his family over Thanksgiving from Miami, want their daughter to know and understand what Burris did for her. Born on Sept. 11, little Nyah "is a good reminder of God's love," her mother said. "With so many people dying that day, God gave us a special gift because a life was being born. We want her to know Randy died to protect her."
Police say the driver of an Oldsmobile rounded a corner too fast near Burris' home Sunday afternoon, left the roadway and struck Burris.
Burris was standing in front of his house chatting with Carlson, who had taken Nyah out for a stroll. The stroller got stuck as Carlson tried to get her child away from the out-of-control car, and Burris grabbed the stroller from her. Burris was hit as he tried to pull the infant to safety.
When Carlson visited Burris at Athens Regional Medical Center, her hero's wife handed her a stuffed bear for Nyah. "Even with Randy dying, she was thinking of us," Carlson said, wiping away tears.
People who knew Burris aren't surprised that he would place himself in danger to save someone he didn't even know.
Dot Paul / Athens Banner Herald
Heather Carlson and her 2-month-old child Nyah, who were saved when Randy Burris pushed them out of the path of a car.
Vivian Alford, principal of Whitehead Elementary, where the Burris children go to school, recalled, "Randy was always thinking of other people. He was concerned about the staff members and the teachers at our school." Every morning, he would greet the principal and the front office staff as he walked his children to their classrooms.
Workers at the Department of Labor, where Burris set up work opportunities for disabled people, echoed the principal's observations. Burris could talk with anyone, remembering details of their previous conversations, co-workers said.
Georgia Phillips, 38, said she saw Burris at PTO meetings and school functions, and that his two sons are friends with her two boys.
"You always felt if you took your children to his house that they'd be safe," she said. "Just last week I saw him at the school, being his usual bubbly self. He really made you feel comfortable and made you feel he cared."
In Saxon Woods, Joan Postell said Burris was the best next-door neighbor, ready to help at a moment's notice, day or night. Postell was preparing to eat dinner on Sunday, when she glanced out the window and saw a baby skidding across her lawn in what appeared to be a car seat, followed by what looked like a sack of clothes. She didn't spot the driver who had hit Burris as he pulled the baby to safety.
"I called 911 and my sister went outside to see what she could do," said Postell, who immediately began praying. "But there wasn't much we could do."
The driver of the Oldsmobile that killed Burris, Ricardo Arriaga-Gutierrez, 26, has been charged with felony vehicular homicide, DUI and leaving the scene of an accident. He remained in the Clarke County Jail on Wednesday.
