Crash Victim Reunites With Rescuers Jason Anania Meets People Who Rendered Him Aid Elias Johnson Reporter

Elias Johnson Reporter, KPHO.com
POSTED: 7:22 pm MST April 10, 2010 UPDATED: 7:16 am MST April 11, 2010
PHOENIX -- Friends, strangers and others who were first on the scene to help a group of motorcycle riders hit by a large truck two weeks ago gather to help support Jason Anania, one of the victims.
Watch: Riders Help Families Of Cyclists Killed In Crash
Slideshow: Truck Plows Into 8 Motorcycles
Inside Connolly's Sports Grill, near the scene of the crash, pain is slowly starting to heal.
"My heart goes out to her just as hers does to me," Anania said, referring to a woman who helped rescue him from an accident involving a group of motorcycles and a sanitation truck on March 26.
Thanks to help from Sandie Achor, Anania is reuniting with people like the woman who was working at the Walgreen's along Carefree Highway where a driver, who police say was high on methamphetamine, plowed into eight motorcycles, killing four riders. Anania and several others were severely injured.
"I remembered her face as I laid on the street and she was holding a blanket over my head to block the sun," Anania said hugging the woman.
"When we heard about the accident and realized it was friends of ours, we wanted to get involved immediately," Achor said.
Anania considers Achor one of his angels.
"So many people were posting (on the Internet), 'What can I do? What can I do?' But nobody was telling them what to do, so I said, 'I've got an idea, you can do this and this,'" Achor said.
Achor started a Web site where people could sign up to volunteer their time.
"Jason's a single guy, lives in an apartment on the second floor and (he) really needs people around," Achor said.
Lynda Toraya has Mondays.
"I'm scheduled every Monday, so I go there and take care of him. I did some of his laundry, the dishes, vacuumed, my daughter said, 'Will you do that at home?'" Toraya said laughing.
For the first time since that horrible day, Anania has reasons to smile.
"I mean, thank you isn't enough,” Anania said.
Anania said good does come out of tragedy.
"After what you guys have done, you're closer than family, you're closer than family,” Anania said to everyone who came to support him, “Thank you, every single one of you … Thank you."
Phoenix police arrested Michael Jakscht, 46, Tuesday in connection with the crash. He was booked into jail on four counts of manslaughter and five counts of aggravated assault and seven counts of endangerment.