April 9, 2025
Most people would freeze. But Olivia pulled over.
When she saw the crash happen before her, the HPU student didn’t hesitate. Instead, she immediately pulled over and ran toward the wreckage, not away, because she knew she could help.
High Point University freshman Olivia Stern didn’t expect her quick ice cream run to take such a turn. But as she watched a traumatic scene unfold from her car, instinct and compassion took over. Her calm presence, quick thinking and unwavering focus made a difference in a stranger’s worst moment. Now, her story stands as a reminder that bravery can come from ordinary people and inspires students across campus to act when it counts.
On March 12, around 7:30 p.m., Stern drove to get ice cream with some of her sorority sisters. Driving on a road not far from HPU and heading towards Greensboro, she saw a car go up onto a curb and get T-boned, causing multiple vehicles to pile up and the initial car to flip onto its head.
As soon as she saw the cars collide, Stern quickly pulled over and ran to help. Being one of the first to reach the scene, she didn’t hesitate to call 911, but her actions didn’t stop there. She immediately comforted the woman trapped in the flipped car, offering reassurance until emergency responders arrived.
Stern has always been a caring person, stepping out of her comfort zone to help others from a young age.
“It’s my nature... I feel like I'm so quick with my fight or flight, I fight no matter what it is, and even if it's not in my best interest, I always put others first. So maybe running into oncoming traffic in the middle of a highway wasn't the best idea, but I would do it all over again,” Stern said.
As Stern rushed to check on the woman trapped in the flipped car, emotions ran high, but she remained calm and focused.
“I was really scared,” Stern said. “The operator kept asking me what the state of the lady in the flipped car was... I didn’t wanna see something I didn’t want to, then I saw her crawling out. I was relieved that she was okay.”
The woman’s injuries weren’t fatal, and Stern knew that the best thing she could do at that moment was to help calm her down. Kneeling beside the woman, Stern took her hand, introduced herself, and started a conversation to ease the woman’s nerves.
She soon learned that the woman’s daughter was also named Olivia. That shared connection gave Stern something to work with. Stern gently asked the woman about her daughter before transitioning to more serious questions to assess her injuries and physical condition.
“I was telling her about myself, and we were having a really good conversation that helped bring her down from that initial panic,” Stern said. “We got her husband on the phone, and I did whatever I could to make her comfortable.”
“She hit me with a 180, and she was completely calm,” Stern said.
Once emergency services arrived, Stern stayed with the woman until she was comfortable with her leaving, remaining by her side until she was sitting up with the professionals who were assessing her condition.
After leaving the scene, Stern was left with contrasting feelings of gratefulness and guilt.
“It just puts everything in perspective and how quickly something can change... I can’t even imagine... If something were to happen in the car and one of my friends were to get hurt, I wouldn’t be able to live with that guilt. That was what freaked me out the most. It’s not that it could have been me, it could have been one of them, and that breaks my heart,” Stern said.
Yet, in the end, Stern learned a lot from this moment.
“I’m grateful that I was there for that. It made me tougher. It’s those experiences that I know I can handle, and I could do it again. It made me a lot more emotionally resilient,” Stern said.
People can take a lot from Stern’s experience and apply it to their own lives. The bystander effect is real, and often, people don’t know when they can help or whether someone else will step in. Stern’s bravery and initiative are qualities that many could benefit from emulating.