As New Mexico’s lieutenant governor, Howie Morales (D) spends much of his time presiding over state policy, but recently he became an accidental first responder.

According to KOB4 News, Morales was recently traveling north on I-25 near Truth or Consequences when he encountered the aftermath of a one-vehicle accident. With no law enforcement or official first responders in sight, Morales stopped his car and rushed to attend to the victim involved in the rollover. When the dazed victim uttered a few words, Morales recognized the voice.

“It was at that moment when I heard the very distinctive voice of a person that I’ve known most of my life, a hometown person,” Morales told KOB4 News. “They’re from Silver City.”

Lt. Gov. Howie Morales | Wikimedia Commons

He recognized the man as Billy Joe Trujillo, who works for the Forest Service. The connection only added to Morales’ sense of urgency.

“He definitely was disoriented, as you can imagine, after a tremendous accident like that,” Morales told KOB4 News. “But when he did recognize that it was me who was right there, he did have a sense of calm.”

Trujillo was bringing supplies to firefighters at the time of his accident. Morales thinks strong winds may have pushed Trujillo’s car and caused the rollover.

When first responders arrived, Morales became a traffic cop, warning drivers along I-25 to slow down and avoid the area. Trujillo suffered a broken arm, but the situation could have been a lot worse, according to Morales.

“It was the best case scenario that we could have asked for,” Morales told KOB4 News. “But it wouldn’t have been possible without all those other volunteers who rushed to the scene as soon as they could.”