Heroism Outside of One's Occupation

[old medic]

^ It's like that first wreck I posted. You can't unsee things, but they do fade with time. If you let them.

But they do sneak back on occasion... I grew up with my Stepfather the assistant chief of our small Volunteer FD. Whenever there was an incident, the whole family became involved. I became interested in helping and took my 1st EMT class at 15. Although retired I'm still a certified Paramedic, and still on our local Volunteer Fire and Rescue. But outside of DUTY.......
I have always stopped to assist ... Crossed 6 lanes of interstate traffic with a fire extiquisher and saved a mans truck that had a gas can leak and fire in the bed and dripping under the truck. Countless accidents, last one was this past Sept motorcycle vs car. My 1st rescue I was 12-13, neighbor crossing the creek got her foot caught and knocked down under water and nearly drown. My brother and I jumped in, got her free and did mouth to mouth and got her breathing again.
How about changing a stranger's tire on the interstate?? I have turned around and gone back on several occasions. One was a family of 5, grandmother mother and 3 young daughters. They were traveling to Disney. Put their donut on, brought them to Sears and then took them to lunch while waiting for them to put new tire on.

 

[folivier]

Couple times that I remember, might have been others.
Middle of the night at a hotel on the 3rd floor the fire alarm goes off. Everyone was panicking. Then I see a family with their teenager in a wheelchair at the stairs. Everyone was rushing past them and they looked helpless. I grabbed one side of the wheelchair and the dad and I carried the wheelchair down the stairs. Couldn't believe the people who tried to push past us. A harsh warning from me slowed them down.
Another time at a campout on a fast flowing river. One kid started going under. His dad swam out to get him but the current started taking both of them under. Dad made eye contact with me, a helpless pleading look. I jumped in, grabbed his kid from behind and swam him to shallow water. Dad was able to swim out then. I was always a strong swimmer. Glad I was able to help. BTW they were neighbors.

 

[RunningBum]

When I was in college an elderly and not very mobile neighbor asked me to change a flat tire on his old car that he had parked on the street all winter. He started the car to warm it up as I worked on it. I don't remember if it was before or after I had changed the tire but I smelled smoke, and realized it was probably coming from under the car. There was no heat shield and something in the exhaust system ignited dead leaves. I didn't know if I'd have time to get the old guy out of the car and safely far enough away so I dove down next to the car and frantically swept snow with my arm under the car. I was pretty worried the flames would reach the gas tank but I couldn't leave the guy. I'm not sure he even realized what happened. Looking back I probably should've have first yelled for him to get out of the car while I tried putting out the fire but I don't think I knew for sure where the fire was until I was on the ground.

 

[Amethyst]

Age 31, on a Saturday morning shopping trip to a large hardware store. The parking lot was on a steepish slope towards the store front. They were having some sort of sidewalk sale and there were several people shopping at tables set up near the entrance.

After I'd made my purchase and was walking back to where I had parked, a car came rolling downhill past me, with a woman in the passenger seat screaming for help while leaning over the center console trying to steer. I dropped my package of nuts & bolts and ran, not sure I could catch the car since it was gaining speed as it went downhill - headed directly towards the sidewalk sale.

Thankfully the driver's side window was open and I was able to reach the car, pull myself partially through the window and yank the emergency brake.

Turns out when her husband parked and went inside, he left the manual transmission in neutral and obviously had not applied the parking brake. When she (very pregnant with a two year old in a car seat in the back) noticed the car was beginning to roll, she panicked and reached over the console to steer the car down the parking row towards the entrance rather than think to apply the paring brake.

With her permission I started the car and drove it around to where it was originally parked. She was upset and very vocal, thaking me profusely while making highly unfavorable comments about her worthless, self-centered numbskull of a husband.

Once parked, she continued thaking me while quickly getting her child out of the car seat. The last I saw of her she was walking quickly towards the front of the store and continuing to express her displeasure regarding the "virtues" of her spouse.

I would have loved to have witnessed their interaction when she caught up with him, but thought better of it, retrieved my purchase and headed home.

She was in shock and was letting out her terror the only way she knew - the way she was raised, probably.

My early thought would've been, "If he's really such a loser, why did you have a child with him, let alone a second one?"

 

[marko]

Age 31, on a Saturday morning shopping trip to a large hardware store. The parking lot was on a steepish slope towards the store front. They were having some sort of sidewalk sale and there were several people shopping at tables set up near the entrance.

After I'd made my purchase and was walking back to where I had parked, a car came rolling downhill past me, with a woman in the passenger seat screaming for help while leaning over the center console trying to steer. I dropped my package of nuts & bolts and ran, not sure I could catch the car since it was gaining speed as it went downhill - headed directly towards the sidewalk sale.

Thankfully the driver's side window was open and I was able to reach the car, pull myself partially through the window and yank the emergency brake.

Turns out when her husband parked and went inside, he left the manual transmission in neutral and obviously had not applied the parking brake. When she (very pregnant with a two year old in a car seat in the back) noticed the car was beginning to roll, she panicked and reached over the console to steer the car down the parking row towards the entrance rather than think to apply the paring brake.

With her permission I started the car and drove it around to where it was originally parked. She was upset and very vocal, thaking me profusely while making highly unfavorable comments about her worthless, self-centered numbskull of a husband.

Once parked, she continued thaking me while quickly getting her child out of the car seat. The last I saw of her she was walking quickly towards the front of the store and continuing to express her displeasure regarding the "virtues" of her spouse.

I would have loved to have witnessed their interaction when she caught up with him, but thought better of it, retrieved my purchase and headed home.

Maybe he didn't leave the car in neutral by accident.

 

[CO-guy]

It would be a struggle for me to think of one specific incident where I rushed to someone's aid that stands out among the many times that has happened. In high school and again in grad school I was first on the scene to vehicle accidents with fatalities and injuries. More recently, we volunteer for endurance races and so keeping injured folks comfortable while arranging an evacuation is part of the role.

However, reading this topic reminded me of an incident that happened in the city one winter over 20 years ago. An old woman was walking toward me on the sidewalk with what looked like a bag full of groceries. As she neared me, she slipped on the sidewalk and grabbed onto the cage around a tree in the sidewalk as she was falling. I rushed forward, helped her back to her feet and asked if she was okay. She responded by say, "Please don't hurt me," and then started screaming for help. I was confused and walked away, but I guess people don't always recognize the heroes.

 

[planuntilthefisthits]

It would be a struggle for me to think of one specific incident where I rushed to someone's aid that stands out among the many times that has happened. In high school and again in grad school I was first on the scene to vehicle accidents with fatalities and injuries. More recently, we volunteer for endurance races and so keeping injured folks comfortable while arranging an evacuation is part of the role.

However, reading this topic reminded me of an incident that happened in the city one winter over 20 years ago. An old woman was walking toward me on the sidewalk with what looked like a bag full of groceries. As she neared me, she slipped on the sidewalk and grabbed onto the cage around a tree in the sidewalk as she was falling. I rushed forward, helped her back to her feet and asked if she was okay. She responded by say, "Please don't hurt me," and then started screaming for help. I was confused and walked away, but I guess people don't always recognize the heroes.

Good for you to try to help. Old woman = Dementia?

 

[Amethyst]

It would be a struggle for me to think of one specific incident where I rushed to someone's aid that stands out among the many times that has happened. In high school and again in grad school I was first on the scene to vehicle accidents with fatalities and injuries. More recently, we volunteer for endurance races and so keeping injured folks comfortable while arranging an evacuation is part of the role.

However, reading this topic reminded me of an incident that happened in the city one winter over 20 years ago. An old woman was walking toward me on the sidewalk with what looked like a bag full of groceries. As she neared me, she slipped on the sidewalk and grabbed onto the cage around a tree in the sidewalk as she was falling. I rushed forward, helped her back to her feet and asked if she was okay. She responded by say, "Please don't hurt me," and then started screaming for help. I was confused and walked away, but I guess people don't always recognize the heroes.

Already scared, a bit chagrined, and may have been hurt before. She will recognize her good luck later.

 

[Amethyst]

Good for you to try to help. Old woman = Dementia?

I thought her reaction understandable. I wish people wouldn't always assume age = dementia.

 

[calmloki]

Well, after the Navy in Santa Fe I, a scrawny guy, dawdled toward danger once. Was in a laundromat late at night. One other guy in his 30's was there, unloading a washing machine on the other side of the back-to-back row. Old man (might have been 60!) came in and started a loud argument with him in their common tongue. I didn't understand what the beef was about, but when the old guy pulled out a small revolver paid more attention. The two started wrestling for the pistol and rather than exit I went over and joined them.

So, three fellers doing hand grasping wrist, grasping hand clamping hand grabbing wrist... Old man had a death grip on the pistol. Ended up with the pistol and all our hands down in an open and empty washing machine, then the other guy got a hand out and closed the lid, got his other hand out and was mashing the lid down on El Pistolero's wrists. and mine. In a very short time younger guy realized it was prime exit time and left in a hurry.

Uhh. Hello? An awkward interlude as old man and I worked out that it was his gun; I didn't want his gun, had no beef with him but also didn't want to be shot. Nobody died, no shots fired, finished drying my clothes and went home.

 

[braumeister]

I once literally put out a dumpster fire.

Oh, I worked there for a while!
Thanks for taking care of it.

 

[Lewis Clark]

Oh, I worked there for a while!
Thanks for taking care of it.

My pleasure, braumester.

I was kind of expecting/hoping for a humorous reply from co-guy, due to his entertaining threads about his previous employer.

 

[Ronstar]

Good for you to try to help. Old woman = Dementia?

Two more old woman stories. Not sure if dementia was involved. And no real heroism involved compared to other stories here.

1. I was surveying a new tollway under construction. I parked my vehicle in a nearby medical center parking lot. I did my work in that area - maybe 10 minutes, and came back to my vehicle to find an elderly woman sitting in the passenger seat. I got in, and asked "Can I help you?" Old lady: "Yes I'm ready to pick up my prescription"

I asked her a few questions about how she got there, and if she was waiting for a ride, etc, but I didn't get good answers. She just wanted me to take her to Walgreens to pick up her prescription. So I did.

I waited in my vehicle while she went inside. She later walked out with her prescription and started walking to the apartment building next door. I asked if she needed a ride, but she said no - she just lived next door. I followed her to the apartment building where she used her key to get in, so I suppose that she lived there. So I left.

2. I was making a beer run on Christmas Eve in a blizzard. Treacherous road conditions. Then a pickup truck coming toward me lost control, did several 360's into my lane, then off road over a couple road signs ending up in a ditch.

I stopped in the road, turned on my flashers, and went to help. Elderly woman driver, no passengers. She seemed alert. I told her that I could try to get her truck out of the ditch - she asked if I knew how to drive a 4 WD truck.

Problem was that she had a road sign wedged under her front bumper making going forward impossible. So I backed up the ditch until I could get her truck back on the road. She said she could drive home from there.

She had gone out to get a few things for Christmas dinner, which we had to gather up from various parts of the truck cab.

Luckily nothing happened to my truck still sitting in the road. I followed her a little bit to make sure she could make it home. Thinking back, I probably should have followed her all the way to her home.

 

[CO-guy]

I once literally put out a dumpster fire.

Kuddos to you, but in my experience dumpsters fires don't stay out for long

Oh, I worked there for a while!
Thanks for taking care of it.

I'm amazed at how many of us were employed by Dumpster Fire Inc. Must be a franchise or something.

 

[CO-guy]

Already scared, a bit chagrined, and may have been hurt before. She will recognize her good luck later.

I appreciate your explanation. It was Bethesda, MD. She was milky white and heavily bejeweled. Dressed for the gym and, having just returned from a month in the Caribbean, my skin tone was somewhere between "old penny" and caramel, so I came to a somewhat different conclusion at the time.

 

[skyking1]

We did all that winter traveling to see my family across the Cascades, and in all those decades we turned back one time.
My wife wanted a hand at the winter driving so she took a turn. The road suddenly changed to the appearance of wet white paint. A trio of lowered mini trucks came flying by her, and all lost it to some extent and recovered. It became really white knuckle driving.
Around the next corner and over a rise, we found a bad wreck with a semi truck pinning a car to the guardrail and other cars involved. My wife came to a stop in the middle lane in a panic. I look back and see an approaching truck flashing it's lights.
GO GO GO I said, and with spinning tires we crawled past the wreck in the left lane and slid down that banked curve into the shelter of the wreck, just in time to get out of the way of the truck who made it by. We were on the shoulder and safe, and just behind a car with some college age young ladies who presumably stopped to help.
I said aloud " she is going to get hit" and just like that, a car came around the wreck out of control, and dribbled her off her car. I ran to help. My wife tossed me our car blanket, and I wrapped her up and prepared to lift her over the guardrail to safety, when this young state patrolman came running up in his ice cleats and said " I got it, get in your car and go when I tell you."
Then he very bravely climbed up the supered corner to see, and said GO!
I am now driving and spin and slip my way out of there. Around the corner at the chain up lanes, it was nothing but brake lights and flashing lights. I saw that place that said "No U-turn" and you know I did.
On the way back home we saw a half dozen cars off the road.

 

[mystang52]

I racked my brain but I have to confess I can't think of any heroic thing I've done, nor had an opportunity to do. Not necessarily heroic, but I did prevent a potentially serious accident when I was 9 years old. I was sitting with my friend in her father's car, and she was animatedly talking and gesturing. She accidentally released the emergency brake handle and the car started rolling backwards. I pulled up the handle while we waited for an adult to "rescue" us.

 

[Teacher Terry]

When I was in my early 30s, I drove to the corner of our dead end street to turn onto a main road when I saw a middle-aged man talking to and approaching a young girl probably about 12 and she looked very scared.

He was dressed very nicely, but had a very old car. I thought he’s trying to abduct her so I backed up my truck and pointed it right at him and honked the horn. He walked over to my window and showed a police badge and said the girl looked upset and he was going to give her a ride home.

I only rolled down my window a little bit so he could hear me talk and I told him that if he went near her, I was going to run him over with the truck first and ask questions later. I then told him that the only person giving her a ride home was me and that’s what I did.

I basically just reacted without thinking because I had three kids at home and even though my hometown wasn’t that big I had men try to grab me on numerous occasions when I was a kid walking home from school. Later I thought that if he had been a real cop, he would’ve called for back up and I would’ve went to jail.