Good Samaritan Hit by Car While Rescuing Lizard on Road, Video Shows

In a brutal twist of fate, a guy trying to save a lizard from getting squished on the road ended up getting smashed by a car himself.

The shocking scene was caught on camera -- Luis Ricardo Coronel steps into the middle of Paraguay's Route PY04 to scoop up a teju guasu lying on its back -- but in a split second, he glances back, and BAM, a car comes flying straight into him at full speed.

The blue Toyota IST, driven by Mirtha Tereza Delgado, slams into him with such force that Coronel -- and the poor lizard -- are carried several meters before he crashes down onto the asphalt.

Coronel suffered serious injuries -- he was rushed to San Ignacio District Hospital before being transferred to the Trauma Hospital in Asunción for specialized care due to the severity of his condition.