These stories remind me of a tragedy that happened four years ago on MLK Day. It had gotten above freezing that day so all the roads were wet. Once night fell, so did the temps and many roads were covered with ice. There was an SUV (I think) that was driving down this portion of the arterial when he lost control and did a 360 in the road. Along comes a van with two girls from my high school (one was my stand partner in orchestra). They decided to stop and help this man who spun out to make sure he was okay. Mean while, along comes a trator trailer. He can't stop and jackknifes sliding down the road, killing both girls and the man in the SUV. What a sad day that was when we went back to school the next day.

I guess there's another moral to this story. Besides the possible danger from the other driver, there is also the danger of being stopped on the side of the road.

It's great to help someone in need, but please also be mindful of your own safety

 

I always stop to help.
9 out of 10 times, people will try to pay you for helping. I love to see their expression when I tell them what a nice gentleman from Maine had once told me:
"Someday you might stop to help someone, and it could turn out be me".

I never felt it was a safety issue for me. What I'm really more afraid of is actually scaring the other person by stopping. Especially if they are elderly, or a female who is travelling alone.


If I'm returning home from snowplowing and I see an older person shoveling their driveway by themselves, I will stop as well. I love to make their day, and hightail it out of there before they get a chance to ask me how much they owe.

 

I only stop if I am the only person around, which is kinda foolish really. But if you really think about it, most murderers and rapists that are stuck in a snowdrift PROBABLY wont kill you for trying to help.
One time I was ditching school with a buddy and we went snowboarding on Berthoud Pass west of Denver. We hiked up the hill with our backs to the west, and when we got to the top, we turned around just in time to see a storm break over the Continental Divide and barrel down on us. It started snowing so hard that it took us the better part of an hour to get down to the road, where we had planned to hitchhike back to the top of the pass, like we had always done. When we reached the road, there were no tracks in the snow...and it had snowed about a foot in an hour. They had closed the pass! We thought "Oh Sh" and waited 2 hours on the side of the road for the plow to come by, which I had to hit with a snowball because he couldn't see us!
He took us to the top, and my car was buried, it had snowed close to 36 inches in the 3 hours we waited, and I was driving a Toyota Tercel...so we started her up, shoveled a path to the road, and waited for the plow to come back by so we could follow him back down the mountain. That was a trip...if we had missed the plow or it hadn't come by, we would have been sleeping in a snowcave, because the car was about 5 miles away, and since I was ditching school, nobody knew where we were.
BDV

 

thus the reason i pack my 9mm. i dont ussually help ppl unless they have ran off the road or wrecked. i especially like helpin' ppl that have ran off the road in the snow. i get a real thrill out of pullin things.


-nathan

 

I love helping others out. However being that i am stationed in San Diego, i am a little more reluctant to stop. That didn't stop me from yanking a 4 runner out of traffic one day. (His tranny went out and puked on the road.) Nice guy, even tried to give me money. I turned him down and said Back where I come from all we need is a thank you and a handshake.

 

Back when we had a flood, 3 years ago I think. I got a frantic call from a friend that said there was a woman and child trapped on a flooded street. So, I went, pulled the car out, that had water up to the dashboard. The mom and child were on the roof of the (sherman tank) car. The tv crew was there, and to this day, my foglights are waterstained from the depth of the flood.

The other time, I pulled behind an elderly lady on a busy freeway at morning rush time. She was stuck in the middle of 4 lanes,and yelled for me to leave, so I wouldn't get hit. Well, nobody else stopped to help, so I told her I would be her cushion, if anybody doesn't stop in time.

10 minutes later, a CHP (california highway patrol) stops every single lane... Get this... Tells me to go ahead and go, whild everyone else had to stay put, till he got the woman to safety.. That was too cool..

 

well I live where everybody knows enerybody kinda town, so if we see anybody we help. Me having a 4x4 for the last 10 years I get a lot of phone calls "I'm stuck can you come pull me out" the answer is always yes I look at it this way, what if that was your mom dad sister brother or kids I would like somebody to help them so that is why I stop and never take the money Me and my wife carry's cell phone but not all people have cell phones.

 

It all depends on your area too. Around here crime isn't too bad but enough to make me choosey. Other parts of the country are better/worse.

 

I will usually stop and see if people need a ride or to use the cell phone. As for pulling them out, like several others said before, it isn't worth the risk of someone coming after you later saying you damaged their vehicle.