On a cold Spring morning back in the late 90s, I happened upon a survivor of an automobile mishap and I rose to the challenge of being a hero.

That’s a great opening line for any story, especially one that is a true account. It is of an event that occurred one early morning on my drive home from work. As a third-shift laborer at a food-manufacturing facility, it was not uncommon for me to be on the road going home at 2 or 3 A.M. in the morning.

It was early Spring and the deep snow of winter was well into melting but patches and mounds still remained. Creeks and ponds are often overflowing this time of year with runoff water, and road closures along some of the low-lying rural areas are common. Local residents live with it and plan their commutes around it.

My route was always via NYS Route 17, which is the elevated intra-state highway (it is now an Interstate highway.) The Almond, NY dam was once again, back-overflowed and some county roads were under a dozen+ feet or so of water and temporarily closed.

Warming Trend

The earth was slightly warmer than the air from the previous day’s temperatures so the fog in the mornings was thick and often one entered heavy fog banks unexpectedly. Driving was a bit treacherous for those prone to speeding and would be especially dangerous if one lacked familiarity with the turns and nuances of the road.

I was going home, happy and content with the previous evening’s work. It was the weekend, -my two days off. I had a big mug of Cappuccino I bought at the all-night gas station on the way home. My guilty pleasure, this.

I had plans later this weekend to drive to the Walden Galleria in Buffalo, NY, for cinema. Lunch would be a calorie love-fest at Taco-Bell or some other ‘fast food’ franchise, and there would be shopping. It was going to be my day.

My car smelled of the delicious coffee confection and was unusually clean, inside and out. I had spent the previous afternoon prior to work washing and waxing the exterior. I had vacuumed the interior upholstery and carpets, and used vinyl protectant on the dashboard and other vinyl parts and cleaned the glass, inside and out. –The burgundy Grand Am had this whole new-car smell going on! Life seemed good for me. A super-clean car inside and out is like wearing a new suit; the wearer feels better somehow.

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Comments (7)
  • sherry on Sep 18, 2008

    I am sure Jennifer will always remember you, you did a wonderful thing, wouldn’t it be great if you could meet again just to see where your lives have taken both of you? God bless you.

  • thestickman on Sep 18, 2008

    Thanks :) I just re-read this (and see some grammatical errors I need to fix) but I still get goosebumps thinking about this event and looking at those pictures. I wish I had recorded the event on paper at the time as I am sure some details have been omitted. But all of this really did happen. I could almost feel the hand of God directing my actions. I was good, indeed. :)

  • Karen N on Sep 18, 2008

    Awesome story, I’m glad that you was there for her.

  • Paula Mitchell-Bentley on Oct 17, 2008

    She will always remember you, I’m sure. How often does someone save your life? Thanks for sharing, a very compelling read.

  • Glynis Smy on Nov 20, 2008

    The act of kindness is never forgotten, Jennifer will remember you always. Thank you for sharing your story.

  • Lost in Arizona on Feb 3, 2009

    You sir are a hero. It isn’t often that people are willing to stop and help those in need. God only knows what could have happened had you not provided Jennifer with assistance.

  • Daisy Peasblossom on Jun 10, 2009

    That crazy kid! That would have been a scary thing, indeed.

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