Helen Hunt’s Car Wreck Rescuer Had No Idea Who She Was

Oscar-winner Helen Hunt was injured during a scary car accident in Los Angeles Wednesday, and the man who saved her life said he had no idea she was a star. He just leaped into action to save another person’s life. Hunt was injured when the SUV she was riding in collided with another car at an intersection and flipped over.

Hunt was a passenger in an SUV that tried to cross the intersection of San Vincente and Tremaine Avenue in the Mid-City area of Los Angeles. Another vehicle T-boned Hunt’s SUV, which rolled over on its side after the impact. Hunt was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for treatment.

Zarren Thomas pulled Hunt from the car, and told Entertainment Tonight he did not even realize he saved a celebrity until the outlet told him.

“I didn’t know that I was helping a star. My first instinct was to get everybody out safe and sound,” the Jiffy Lube employee told ET. “It was pretty scary. I just didn’t know if everybody was OK. That’s all I was thinking about.”

Thomas said he was working when he happened to go outside for fresh air and saw the crash.

“I saw the truck tipped over, and so went over there to help the people get out of the car. I just wanted to make sure they were safe,” Thomas explained.

He then called a fellow employee to help get the door open.

“After I pried the door open, I saw three people inside. I just immediately, out of my instinct, helped them up, helped them out of the car. I was just thinking about them at the time,” Thomas said.

Entertainment Tonight confirmed Hunt is now recovering at home and sustained no serious injuries.

Hunt, 56, has not publicly commented on the crash. Her most recent Instagram post was published on Monday, and shows her at a restaurant with producer Bill Gerber and actor Jay Huguley.

The As Good As It Gets actress is now working on a revival of Mad About You with co-star Paul Reiser. The new limited series will be exclusive to subscribers of Charter’s Spectrum Cable.

Mad About You originally ran on NBC from 1992 to 1999. Hunt won Emmys for playing Jamie Buchman on the show every year from 1996 to 1999. She also won Golden Globes in 1994, 1995 and 1997 for the show.

“We are so excited to finally be doing this, and thrilled to have Peter Tolan as our fearless captain,” Reiser and Hunt said in a joint statement in March. “We promise you the same funny and heartwarming show – as soon as we can remember what’s funny about being older. It’s going to be great!”

Hunt’s other recent credits include Netflix’s Candy Jar and The Miracle Season.

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