Offering roadside assistance is one of my hobbies, as well as the main reason I have a lightbar on top of my vehicle. I’ve used it on a number of occasions, but generally when I stop to help somebody, they just have a flat tire. Tonight I got to do something a lot different though.
Monday was foggy and cold all day. In the evening, the National Weather Service issued a freezing rain advisory for the rest of the night. About 8pm, the Midland Police Department shut down Loop-250 due to multiple accidents (you could still get around on the service roads). Almost all the roads were fine, except for overpasses, or where the road went over a culvert–then it was super slick. About 9:30pm, I decided to head out and go around Midland on the Loop as well as I-20 and see if there were any motorists in need of assistance on this dreary and accident prone night. I was heading east out of Midland and was about 200ft behind two cars, traveling about 45-50mph. All of a sudden, one of the cars hit a patch of ice, whipped around 180 degrees, and slid into the median and then flipped onto its side. I immediately sped over into the median, flipped on my safety lights, grabbed a flashlight and jumped out of the car. I debated as to whether or not I should call 911 first, but I decided I should findout what the condition of the occupants was first. This would allow me to give better information to the dispatcher, if necessary. When I got over to the vehicle (laying on its right side), I shined my light inside and asked if everyone was okay. There was only one lady inside and she said she was fine. She had gotten out of her seatbelt and was standing on the “floor” of her car (which was now her passenger side window). I was able to open the drivers door on the top, and after propping it open with a broomstick from my car, I helped her climb out and get onto the ground. She immediately called her husband and informed him on the situation.
Since we had to wait for her husband to get there, we waited in my vehicle. Thankfully, with my lights, people coming by were warned to slow down. A couple cars stopped to see if everything was okay, and I called the Midland PD non-emergency number to inform them of the road conditions and the accident, but to not bother sending out an officer.
After about 10 minutes, the husband arrived at the scene. We discussed the idea of using my tow rope and truck to pull the flipped SUV so that all 4 wheels were on the ground (so that they could just drive the vehicle home), but we discovered that two tires had come off their rims, so there was no way they would be driving the vehicle anyways. So, after receiving much gratitude from the family, I left them to wait for the tow truck and continued my trip around Midland.
I didn’t encounter any further incidents where I was able to offer help, but that one accident definitely made my trip out on the roads worth it. The family couldn’t believe I was a computer tech who was just doing this as a hobby. They assumed I was with the TxDOT or something. The whole event is pretty incredible to look back on. We both agreed that it was a perfect demonstration of God’s timing at work and we were all thankful that there was no personal injury (most of that can be credited to her seatbelt).
