Former Arizona Cardinal TE Ben Patrick Rescues People Trapped In Van

Should you ever be so unlucky that you find yourself trapped inside a crashed van beside a highway, may you also find yourself so lucky that big-hearted NFL tight end Ben Patrick, formerly of the Arizona Cardinals (and a free agent this year), cruises by in his Lamborghini. Because that is exactly what happened on Saturday. Patrick and some of his friends and a couple of strangers all played hero after coming upon an overturned van beside Interstate 17 near Phoenix this weekend. 

Reports azfamily.com, when Patrick stopped he smelled gas. 

"My first thought was just to help the people on the inside," he told the website's Jennifer Lawrence. 

He was so cool and clearheaded that although he contemplated quickly kicking in a window, he opted against it, saying, "I didn't want to get glass over everyone." 

Here's to hoping that his heroism breeds some good mojo for his football career. He played with the Cardinals from 2007-2010, during which time he caught a touchdown pass in Super Bowl XLIII, but he didn't play at all last year. Curiously, he did sign briefly with the New York Giants only to retire a week later. 

Word from azfamily.com is that Patrick plans to sign with the Carolina Panthers for the 2011-2012 season.