Humble Heroes help rescue a man, now the heroes and grateful grandfather share their story

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Today we are recognizing three "humble heroes."

Their quick thinking and willingness to spring into action helped save a stranger's life.

A medical emergency on Wednesday morning left 67-year-old Alfredo Ramirez unconscious and without a heartbeat behind the wheel.

He was driving on Mooney Boulevard and Walnut Avenue in Visalia at the time. His truck then rear-ended an SUV. That driver jumped out and put Alfredo's pickup in park.

Meanwhile, Gilbert Cano, who was at the intersection, rushed to Alfredo and quickly started CPR.

"I was telling him like I was telling my dad 'Hey brother you got a family that loves you, you gotta come back to us. You have a family that needs you, man. So I just kept pumping," says Gilbert.

Two Southern California Edison employees who were driving to a work site, also pulled over to help.

Ryan Casey started giving the man compressions, and Timothy Stalboerger administered the defibrillator that was in their vehicle.

"It was definitely the right place at the right time. We're trained and taught that in that moment if you're not getting blood flow within six minutes after it happens then a lot of damage can happen in the body so we got extremely fortunate," says Timothy.

Visalia Police were amazed by what they saw when they arrived at the scene.

"When I got out of my car I was expecting the worst, when I got out of my car I saw the driver sitting up and talking," says Visalia Police Lieutenant, Jared Hughes

Today, a sweet reunion over Zoom for Gilbert and Alfredo.

Alfredo is recovering at Kaweah Health and counting his blessings.

"I respect life more and people like Gilbert who don't even think they just jump into action and that's phenomenal. It blows me away it just blows me away because who would've known you don't think you deserve it sometimes because something happens and you feel you're worth, and God must think I'm worth something and I love him for it," expresses Alfredo.

Gilbert says the rescue was also a healing moment for him. His dad suffered a cardiac arrest two weeks ago, and Gilbert was unable to save him despite doing CPR.

He's thankful he could be there for a stranger, who now feels like family, and Alfredo is grateful to be here another day.

"I gotta stop and smell the roses you know, you got to take more time to get somewhere and just enjoy the scenery and just enjoy God's glory, and know I'm part of it and I know He's there close to me because He's the one that orchestrated that," mentions Alfredo.

A very special bond has now been created between the two families.

To help honor the So Cal Edison employees and first responders who respond to emergencies, Downtown Visalians are hosting their annual Hometown Heroes event on Main Street in Visalia this Saturday from 9 to 2.

Details on that event can be found here.

For news updates, follow Kassandra Gutierrez on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.