"Red"
Graphic Designer
I needed to go to the store last night around 11:00pm. I start off and drive to the end of the street and come up behind a pickup truck sitting at the stop sign. Truck appears to be running, but isn't making any indication of moving on. I can't see the driver mainly because the window tint is dark and that it's a dark corner. I flash my lights a few times, but get no response. Out of concern, I pull along side the truck and still can't make out a driver. I turn on my flashers and get out to investigate. The driver is slumped over against the door. Truck is running, radio is on... the window is half way down so I reach in and touch the driver on the head while calling out to him. He doesn't move at first and then slowly starts to come around. At this point I don't know what could be wrong, but I knew I had to do something. I finally got him (the driver) to make eye contact with me and talk to me. He was polluted (drunk) and somehow managed to keep his foot on the brake while dozing off.
I wasn't about to call the police because that would be against my beliefs. This young man just needed to get home a sleep it off. After 45 minutes of talking him back to a coherent state, I got him out of the truck and moved it into the store parking lot while he waited in front of the store. So far so good. I asked him if he had someone that could come and get him and he just looked at me. I asked for his phone and he handed it over without question. I started calling the most recent numbers until I got his father, we talked for a couple minutes and he said the young mans mother would come get him. They were more than 45 minutes away, so I asked the young man if he lived in the area and said yes and pointed off into the night. I asked him if I could take him home and he agreed. So I parked my truck out of the way and proceeded to drive him home with no address to guide my way. He just gave me turn by turn directions. You can imagine what was going through my head as we went right, left, right, left, down this long dark road and then right - left again ... eventually he pointed to a house and we pulled in.
Turns out this was his home and his wife (7-8 months pregnant) was sitting in her car with their son (approx 3 years old) in the back. Wife had left he key in the house and was waiting on him to get home, boy was she pisssssssssed. A few more minutes of listening to her unload on him, I politely asked her if she would take me back to my truck. She agreed after putting her son to bed.
All in all it turned out good. The feeling I get from helping someone can't be measured on any scale. I supposed I would like for everyone to do the same thing and help a total stranger in need, but I know from experience most would have driven by, and the majority of the rest would have called the police to deal with it. To me that would not be doing the right thing. The young man would have definitely been arrested for DUI, spent the night in the Bartow Hilton, probably lost his license, lost his job.. yadda yadda yadda ... basically ruining his life and that of his family.
Now, as the title asks... what would you do if you were in the same position?
I wasn't about to call the police because that would be against my beliefs. This young man just needed to get home a sleep it off. After 45 minutes of talking him back to a coherent state, I got him out of the truck and moved it into the store parking lot while he waited in front of the store. So far so good. I asked him if he had someone that could come and get him and he just looked at me. I asked for his phone and he handed it over without question. I started calling the most recent numbers until I got his father, we talked for a couple minutes and he said the young mans mother would come get him. They were more than 45 minutes away, so I asked the young man if he lived in the area and said yes and pointed off into the night. I asked him if I could take him home and he agreed. So I parked my truck out of the way and proceeded to drive him home with no address to guide my way. He just gave me turn by turn directions. You can imagine what was going through my head as we went right, left, right, left, down this long dark road and then right - left again ... eventually he pointed to a house and we pulled in.
Turns out this was his home and his wife (7-8 months pregnant) was sitting in her car with their son (approx 3 years old) in the back. Wife had left he key in the house and was waiting on him to get home, boy was she pisssssssssed. A few more minutes of listening to her unload on him, I politely asked her if she would take me back to my truck. She agreed after putting her son to bed.
All in all it turned out good. The feeling I get from helping someone can't be measured on any scale. I supposed I would like for everyone to do the same thing and help a total stranger in need, but I know from experience most would have driven by, and the majority of the rest would have called the police to deal with it. To me that would not be doing the right thing. The young man would have definitely been arrested for DUI, spent the night in the Bartow Hilton, probably lost his license, lost his job.. yadda yadda yadda ... basically ruining his life and that of his family.
Now, as the title asks... what would you do if you were in the same position?
