Westmoreland County father, bystanders rushed to save victims of Tarentum hit and run

ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — A Westmoreland County father who jumped into action to help save the lives of a mother and daughter after they were left to die in a hit-and-run crash near the Tarentum Bridge is sharing his story only with Channel 11.

“As soon as this happened, every fiber in my heart just tore because I seen that poor girl laying on the asphalt. I seen her mother there laying lifeless,” said Anthony Stoves of Lower Burrell.

Those images now haunt Anthony Stoves.

The former Westmoreland County EMT knows about responding to emergencies firsthand. It was his career for several years.

He says the night of December 30, 2021, everything around him seemed to stop and skills he hadn’t used in years came rushing back.

“It was honestly just instinct. It was instinct,” said Stoves.

While in the car with his girlfriend and baby girl, he noticed traffic stopped near the bridge.

There, he and a few strangers discovered a lifeless 26-year-old Lyric Jackson and her 9-year-old daughter Symia Jackson injured.

“The adrenaline was going through my body and after I’m doing CPR on this poor mother and I’m hearing the child screaming for her mother, crying,” said Stoves.

Stoves and another man spent two full minutes performing chest compressions on Lyric, trying to bring her back to life.

“I did two cycles of CPR and on my second cycle I stopped as soon as the paramedics were showing up. That’s whenever I ended my cycle and I went and I felt for a pulse. And I ended up getting a pulse back.”

Lyric and her daughter were rushed to area hospitals.

Young mother, daughter hit by car and left to die near Tarentum Bridge

Her sister tells Channel 11 Lyric has a brain bleed and can’t move the left side of her body.

Little Symia is out of the hospital but has severe bruising and trauma.

Tonight, Stoves says he’s holding on to hope for a family he doesn’t know but will remember forever.

“As long as you have hope, there’s something to look forward to and just keep pushing forward and hopefully my CPR saved your daughter,” said Stoves.

At last check, there have been no arrests in this hit-and-run.

The Jackson family is planning on holding a peaceful rally and march at 1 p.m. on Saturday near the Tarentum Bridge to shine a light on the case.

They are also still working to pay medical bills.

If you want to donate to the family’s GoFundMe, click here.

©2022 Cox Media Group