Ruben Tala Led a Human Chain to a Teetering SUV

A Christmas drive to Lake Tahoe turned into a cliff-edge rescue when Ruben "RJ" Tala spotted an SUV overturned on a fallen tree, with its passengers still trapped inside.

The SUV was still hanging there

According to ABC News, Tala, an Air Force staff sergeant, was traveling along Highway 50 in California with his wife and baby when he saw the wreck. The SUV had spun off the road and landed on its side, perched above a steep embankment hundreds of feet below.

He grabbed the door and bought time

Tala said his first thought was simply to rescue the passengers. He held onto the driver's-side door while other bystanders arrived, trying to keep the vehicle stable long enough to get everyone out safely.

Then the strangers turned into a rescue line

Once more helpers reached the scene, Tala asked for a rope and tied it to the SUV's steering wheel area to help stabilize the vehicle. He and the other good Samaritans then formed a human chain and pulled a couple and their two dogs out of the wreck.

Everybody made it out

The rescue was filmed by Tala's wife, Yvett Bañares-Tala, and later shared by ABC. Afterward, the couple thanked Tala and called him a hero. It's the kind of story that only needs one visual: strangers locking themselves together because there was no time to wait for someone else.