This browser does not support the Video element.
Two families, brought together by tragedy, met for the first time Saturday.
Madeline McIntire shares a unique bond with Nadeem Zaman and his family. McIntire was pregnant with her nine-month-old son Walter when she was driving home from work on the Dallas North Tollway, the night of March 27th, last year.
She says she was cut off by another driver and swerved to avoid crashing.
“I tried to correct myself and my wheel spun out and I flew across all three lanes of traffic and hit the middle median head on,” she said. “I just remember yelling and asking for help, and yelling that I'm pregnant, and I had blood on my hands, I didn't know where it was coming from.”
McIntire says Zaman’s wife, Julia, was the first to stop and call for help.
“She was the only person that stopped for me, out of dozens and dozens of cars that went by, no one else stopped and she did,” said McIntire.
According to witnesses, Julia Zaman managed to call 911, but was hit and killed by another driver before she could reach McIntire. By that time, McIntire says a car of men had also stopped to help.
“I remember him shouting, she's dead, she's dead,” said McIntire.
Now, nearly one-year later, McIntire says she’s finally come up with the courage to give Zaman’s family a message.
“I needed to do it. I needed you to know that she was not alone, and I needed you to know that I am thankful, and that I'm sorry above all things. That I'm sorry,” she told Zaman.
Zaman says he’s thankful to McIntire for reaching out, with his wife’s memory living on through her and her young son, who was born healthy just a few days after the fatal crash.
“There's a boy, there's evidence that Julia did something amazing,” said Zaman.
Rabyl Nathoo is the driver who hit Julia Zaman. He was charged with manslaughter last year. The case is still pending.
The families who met Saturday, plan to run a 5K together this March in Julia’s memory.