PHOENIX - A 9-year-old boy looking for help after his mother crashed their van in the southern Arizona desert was rescued by a man entering the U.S. illegally, who stayed with him until help arrived the next day, an official said.

The 45-year-old woman, who eventually died while awaiting help, had been driving on a U.S. Forest Service road in a remote area just north of the Mexican border when she lost control of her van on a curve on Thanksgiving, Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada said.

The van vaulted into a canyon and landed 300 feet from the road, he said. The woman, from Rimrock, north of Phoenix, survived the impact but was pinned inside, Estrada said.

Her son, unhurt but disoriented, crawled out to get help and was found about two hours later by Jesus Manuel Cordova, 26, of Magdalena de Kino in the northern Mexican state of Sonora. Unable to pull the mother out, he comforted the boy while they waited for help.

The woman died a short time later.

"He stayed with him, told him that everything was going to be all right," Estrada said.

As temperatures dropped, he gave him a jacket, built a bonfire and stayed with him until about 8 a.m. Friday, when hunters passed by and called authorities, Estrada said. The boy was flown to University Medical Center in Tucson as a precaution but appeared unhurt.

"We suspect that they communicated somehow, but we don't know if he knows Spanish or if the gentleman knew English," Estrada said of the boy.

"For a 9-year-old it has to be completely traumatic, being out there alone with his mother dead," Estrada said. "Fortunately for the kid, (Cordova) was there. That was his angel."

Cordova was taken into custody by Border Patrol agents, who were the first to respond to the call for help. He had been trying to walk into the U.S. when he came across the boy.

The boy and his mother were in the area camping, Estrada said. The woman's husband, the boy's father, had died only two months ago. The names of the woman and her son were not being released until relatives were notified.

Cordova likely saved the boy, Estrada said, and his actions should remind people not to quickly characterize illegal immigrants as criminals.

"They do get demonized for a lot of reasons, and they do a lot of good. Obviously this is one example of what an individual can do," he said.

Kat

this country is nothing but immigrants, peopl need to realize that, if my great grdanmother hadnt come i wouldnt be here, mexican immigrants are some of the most successful migrants in the US

Bless this man's heart, he put himself at risk in a hostile country to save the boy's life. We can never thank him enough here

mexicans just need help when they first come, cubans get everything when they come to the U.S. a cuban immigrant came to my aunts house in miami, 2 weeks later he had full citizen ship, good credit, the guy has a mustang , tlak about unfair, mexicans dont get anything but we still make it, My aunt is the number one Female Vet in the World right now with a Phd, my mom has 3 masters degrees 2 bachelors, people just need a chance to succeed

if my grandfather didnt escape mexcio like he had he would had been killed as he was a spy against the goverment of poncha via... and my uncles, aunts and my mom nor me or my sisters would had been born or at least to that family, and yes i agree many of mexcians are successful in there careers

this man did what most people would do! southern Arizona is where I hunt and I have seen the illegals crossing but have never encountered any in danger of dying, if I were to find someone in bad shape I would give them water and flag down border patrol. surely he helped this boy but when he crossed the border he broke the law period. and as far as we all are immigrants I was born in this country.

Even in this exceptional circumstance some cannot let go of their hatred. That is sad

so was I, but we are all decendents of IMMIGRANTS no matter what anyone says, the US could put a wall, but it wont work walls never work, 33 percent of the US military is hispanic,especially the MARINES

the sad thign is in my city mexicans are in teh US border patrol, sure they can come legally but it takes many years to get in, and most immigrants are very educated, Mexicos education is far superior to that of the US, when the kids straight from mexico would come to my highschool to study they would kick our mexican americans ass at any subject

you keep using words like hatred and RACIST and bigot those words will lose there effectiveness. I don't hate these people, I just want them to follow and respect our laws. I don't think that is too much to ask.

he sad thign is in my city mexicans are in teh US border patrol, sure they can come legally but it takes many years to get in, and most immigrants are very educated, Mexicos education is far superior to that of the US, when the kids straight from mexico would come to my highschool to study they would kick our mexican americans ass at any subject

if it is so superior then why do they immediately enroll their kids into our "inferior schools"?

to learn english of course, they dont teach teh same things in mexico as the US, they dont teahc the history of ww2 in mexico they focus on science, mathmatics, and other things its just the government is corrupt that y they come, the drug cartel controls the government, wat would u do if drug lords controlled ur life would u fight back and die, or would u move to another place where u can start a better life????

when it comes to immigration,the majority of my ancestry are not immigrants.they were already here when CC got here.why does everyone bring up the past when it comes to immigration?we need to look to the future and letting millions of others come over without citizenship is not going to do good for this country.sorry but you guys want to talk about illegals are helping the economy?how bout they help the economy buy filling out the papers and paying to be LEGAL citizens like all the others that have been waiting in line?.

they have their own country,if they can't fix their own country do you really want them over here working in ours?

I repeat, even in this exceptional circumstance some cannot let go of their hatred. That is sad

I am not looking for effectiveness just calling what I see. Take it how you want to.

tell me how many other countries can help themselves???? when governments are corrupt , and CC wasnt the first person to discover the AMERICAS, do u konw ur history??

you obviously can't spell! WHAT...TEACH...DON'T...YOUR OR YOU'RE...YOU..English...Mexico....Mathematics.

to resort to the use of any of those words means you don't have an argument. so you start name calling.

this is typing not writing am i correct or not?? and besides everyong types liek that now, but u can obviously make out wat im trying to say right?? you dont have to put all the letters in the correct place for u to understand

and besides we didnt cross the border it crossed us, MONTANA was founded by hispanis, which means MOUTAINS, Nevada, snow, Arizona is indians, New Mexico, TEXAS, CALIFORNIA, FLORIDA, COlorado

It is VERY hard to become legal. I have a thread started over there....somewhere, called getting legal.

Kat
Oh...I can spell very well, but I tend to type too fast and miss and hit keys. Soooo, it sometimes is only fumbling fingers that are the culprit. I know you were not talking about me.
Kat

i NEVER said CC discovered America.i said when CC got here!.hell i know columbus didn't discover America,you don't have to be head cook at Taco Bell to know that.