In 2007 Shannon Lorio was out for a drive to clear her head after an argument with her husband. The curvy backroads of Southern Georgia were rife with speeders, and on that fateful day, Shannon was one of them.

When she under-maneuvered a curve, her car fishtailed and ran off the road into the woods. The entry point of the accident was so inconspicuous that she and the vehicle were not visible from the road.

The impact of the accident threw Shannon backward through the back glass, and she lost consciousness. When she briefly came to, she realized half of her body was still in the crushed car, and she lay diagonally across what was her trunk. Shortly after this, she passed out again from the pain.

When she woke next, she describes a presence nearby. It was then she realized a large stray German Shepherd was there. He licked her face and did his best to communicate with her.

“I don’t know when I came to, but when I did come to, I felt his huge presence. I could feel his breath. The dog…I don’t know how he came across me, but I thank God that he did,” Shannon said.

She passed out once more, and when she awoke next, she realized the dog maneuvered her away from the wreckage by dragging her by her hoodie and brought her back up to the edge of the road.

Shannon recognized a hero when she saw one, and she wrapped her arms around the dog to stand up and wave down a passerby.

When someone stopped, she asked them to call an ambulance and her husband, and she lost consciousness once again.

Once recovered Shannon learned the dog, now aptly named Hero, was adopted by s search and rescue trainer. Hero now saves lives, and Shannon is glad. She believes that is what he was made to be a lifesaver.