ESCONDIDO, Calif. — On Monday morning, Palomar Mountain Water driver Marco Parea was on his normal water delivery route with a stop at Casa Escondida Senior Apartments in Escondido.
During his stop, Parea knocked on an apartment door and heard a faint reply.
That faint reply was coming from 88-year-old Barbara White-Minischi who was seriously injured from a fall the previous day.
"I was flopping around there like a dead fish. I could not get up. I could not go anywhere. I couldn't open the door. I could not do a damn thing except lay there and hurt and scream," she said.
"I kept knocking and she did not answer. Usually on my deliveries I say, 'hey, this is Marco oh-Polo,'" said Perea.
As Marco began to correspond with Barbara he determined Barbara was incoherent and needed help.
"I said, 'are you okay?' She said, 'no, I think I fell down,'" said Perea.
Barbara's caretaker had not arrived yet, and Perea, who is 25-years-old, could not get inside the apartment. He proceeded to call 911, and the fire department was able to enter Barbara’s apartment.
Once Barbara was transported to the hospital, Marco returned to his water delivery route.
Barbara spent 12 hours in the hospital but did not suffer from any broken bones. Despite being in a lot of pain, she told News 8 Marco was her hero.
On Wednesday, Barbara’s granddaughter thanked Marco.
"We are really grateful. It is rare to find someone that genuine," Barbara's granddaughter, Carrie White.
And it just so happens that Marco played high school football with Barbara's grandson.
