What started as a routine drive north for a new job nearly turned fatal for 25-year-old Haines resident Seth Waldo when his truck collided with an 18-wheeler near the Canadian border.

His truck was so mangled that border officials told a passing long-haul trucker that the accident had been fatal. But Tristan Vogl didn't take that at face value. He stopped, pried open Waldo's door and heard a faint response to a simple question: "Can you breathe?"

Then for two hours in freezing temperatures, Vogl stayed with Waldo on the side of the highway - talking to him, keeping him conscious, and keeping him warm - until an ambulance crew arrived. Waldo was medevaced to Fairbanks and, after multiple surgeries, will soon be headed to Anchorage soon to continue his recovery.

This story traces the crash, the rescue, and highlights how much can hinge on one person deciding to step in.

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