Matt Swatzell was a rookie firefighter and paramedic who was heading home after a long 24-hour shift that he admits he didn’t get much rest during. As he drove along the roads in Dacula, Georgia, the man who saved lives for a living ended up taking a life.

For just an instant, his eyes fluttered shut and the unthinkable happened. He crossed the center line and struck a vehicle with a young, pregnant mother inside and her 19-month-old daughter.

Matt says to this day he can still hear the sound of the glass breaking, see the horrendous sight in front of him, and smell the accident that took the lives of the young mother and her unborn baby.

Matt was devastated by the news. Erik Fitzgerald was also devastated as June the young mother who died in the accident was his wife. Erik, who is a pastor immediately went to see his young daughter, Faith, who had survived the accident.

When Erik saw his daughter, she crawled into his arms and went to sleep. She was young so he doesn’t know if she knew what was wrong, but he was grateful to not have to explain. More decisions were made in the next few days and weeks. One of them came in the form of pursuing the maximum sentence against Matt. Instead of breaking even more lives apart, Erik made an unexpected decision.

He said he remembered a sermon that said when tragedy happens, there are opportunities to demonstrate grace or to exact vengeance. “I chose to demonstrate grace,” he said. Matt was pardoned for his actions and sentenced to community service and a fine.

The story could have stopped there, but it didn’t. For years the men didn’t even see each other. But two years after the accident, they saw each other in the parking lot at the grocery store. Matt was there to get a condolence card he had planned to send to Erik.

That day Matt and Erik had a two hour conversation and it changed both of their lives for the better. The men immediately knew they shared a special bond that they say came from above.

Now the two are like brothers to each other and their families and children get together regularly. Matt says that Faith, Erik’s daughter, will never have to be alone because he will always be there for her.

To learn more about this remarkable story of forgiveness, check out the video below and be sure to share it with your family and friends.