Savong “Sammy” Sam expected a calm Sunday morning. The mechanic intended to work on a friend’s car parked outside his home in Cranston, Rhode Island. He didn’t expect to assist in saving a life.
The vehicle had been sitting outside his house for several days. Sam noticed someone crouched in the back seat as he opened the door to start the vehicle. “I thought it was a young boy playing hide and seek,” he told me.
But it was not a child. The 54-year-old lady with developmental problems, Linda DaLomba, had been missing for nearly four days. Her disappearance prompted a large search by the FBI, Rhode Island State Police, Cranston police, and several other departments.
Sam did not panic. He walked inside and notified his wife, Cynthia, who promptly contacted the police.
This Monday, Cranston Mayor Kenneth Hopkins thanked Sam in front of a gathering at City Hall. “You saved Linda’s life,” the mayor stated as he handed him a special city citation. “Today, you are Cranston’s hero.”
Sam, who works as a diesel mechanic for the Cranston Fire Department, didn’t soak in the spotlight
“I don’t really have much to say,” he told ceremony attendees. “I was always taught to try and do the right thing.”
He was not alone on the podium. His wife, three kids, and father stood beside him. Sam also shared some of his background: he was born in a Thai refugee camp for Cambodians before immigrating to the United States and finally joined Cranston’s Public Works Department.
Mayor Hopkins also used the occasion to introduce a new legislative initiative, the “Linda Alert.” Similar to the Amber Alert system, it would use highway signage and public broadcasts to inform people if someone with a disability went missing.
“This could be something good that comes out of Linda’s ordeal,” Hopkins said. The Cranston Herald confirmed that DaLomba received medical care and returned safely to her residence.
Less than ten minutes after the ceremony, Sam returned to his work at the servicing garage for the Cranston Fire Department.