One week ago, Price and Ann Hightower, long-time residents of Birmingham, were in a terrible car accident near Sylacauga.  An 18-wheeler crossed the median and struck their car head-on.  Mr. Hightower was killed instantly.  Chris Goree, a December graduate of Samford, and Caitlyn Cota, a current student, were first on the scene.  They pulled Mrs. Hightower from the car.  Chris shattered the driver’s side window, breaking his wrist in the process, as he tried to reach for Mr. Hightower.  Caitlyn dressed Mrs. Hightower’s wounds, talked with her, retrieved her purse and used her cell phone to call a family member.  Caitlyn climbed aboard the ambulance with Mrs. Hightower, proceeding to the hospital in Sylacauga.  Chris followed, and they remained with Mrs. Hightower until family members began to arrive.  They remain in touch with members of the Hightower family. 

  

 Those who show mercy prove themselves to be neighbors.   

 

The world is better because of Chris Goree and Caitlyn Cota.      

 

 

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.