I was on my way to pay a bill over at the shopping center near SAMs off Samuel and Buckner in Pleasant Grove. As I sat in the turning lane waiting to go into the parking lot, traffic started backing up. People were leaning on their horns, rolling down their windows yelling “get out the way,” and swerving around this white Chevy truck that was just sitting there.
At first, I was like everyone else, ready to be annoyed and just wishing the truck would move. Cars fly off that bridge on Buckner, so I knew it was dangerous. As I turned into the lot, something told me to look again. The driver wasn’t moving. I pulled into the lot, but before I hit the first speed bump I decided to turn back around and check on him.
I parked off to the side and walked toward the truck. Nobody inside was moving. I knew I had to get across four lanes of traffic, so I started flagging cars down until people stopped. When I finally reached the truck, I saw a man sitting there with his eyes wide open, but no matter what I said he wouldn’t respond. His window was rolled down and it was raining. At first, I thought his clothes were soaked from the rain, but no… he was drenched in sweat.
I told him I was going to unlock the door and begged him not to hit me. Still no response. When I opened the door, his foot slipped off the brake and the truck started rolling. I had to slam my hand on the brake and throw it in park. It was clear by then that he was unconscious. Without even thinking, I pulled him out and carried him across four lanes of traffic. A few drivers realized what was happening and stopped their cars so I could get him safely onto the grass.
I went back and moved his truck out of the street, then laid him in the bed of it. Within seconds, people rushed over to help. Three of them turned out to be nurses. About three minutes later he started seizing, spitting up blood, and shaking uncontrollably for what felt like forever. Together we rolled him onto his side until the paramedics got there.
They rushed in and immediately began working on him. His blood sugar had dropped all the way to 17. He was in a diabetic coma and on the verge of dying. On top of that, he had suffered a mild stroke, which is why he stopped in the middle of the road.
I thank God for placing me there at that exact moment. If nobody had stopped, that man may not have survived. Sometimes you are put in the right place at the right time for a reason.