So this morning my son and I literally had our lives flash before our eyes. We were headed out on an errand this morning and when leaving a red light, my accellerator stuck all the way to the floor and the brake did not slow us down. We got within 3 feet of crashing through concrete gates when I was finally able to get the car stopped. I was shaking and confused, on the verge of tears. In my rearview mirror, I saw a man bundled up on his bicycle out for a morning ride. He rode up and asked if we were okay. He had seen the whole thing and knew what the situation was. He could tell I was visibly shaken. Granted, this was a complete stranger and it was 30 degrees outside. Still, he offered to go to his home, get his car and carseats and take my son and I wherever we needed to go and back to our home. There was absolutely nothing creepy about him, he was very concerned, he kept asking about my son. After about ten minutes, the accellerator let up, apparently the car had not heated up as much as it should have and it stuck because it was cold. I learned my lesson, I'll let that damn car warm up for 20 minutes if I have to. But just the concern and kindness of a stranger reaffirmed my faith in people and that not all people suck. Some genuinely care. I know he'll never read this and I'll never see him again, but I will send up a special prayer for him and his family. I know he can't hear me, but THANK YOU SIR! Your kindness won't be forgotten.
Modern cars do not have to be warmed up. You have a malfunctioning car. Take it to the mechanic asap.
you could write a letter to your local newspaper thanking him and hope he sees it. i see these all the time in our local paper. glad you are safe!
I'm glad you are ok and that you were helped by this kind stranger. Most people are good and helpful, even strangers.
Your accelerator should not stick because the car hasn't warmed up. Please take the car into a garage and have it looked at. We don't warm our vehicles at all at 30 degrees. I didn't warm up the van tonight and it is -20.
Angels come in many forms.
That was very sweet. I think there is more kindness than we expect because we hear about the jerks more.
Take your car to the garage. I googled and the answer connected to the cold and accelerator sticking was a bad cable, not the cold. Don't take chances.
Whoa! Glad you're safe! Scary!
And I agree that most people really are ready, willing and able to help when they encounter an opportunity.
I remember having a flat tire once & the first guy that saw it had his jacket off in seconds and changed my tire--even though he, too, was just leaving work & probably anxious to get home. :)
I'm giviing thanks that you were all OK! And yes, get to a garage TODAY and don't delay.
Your posting made me smile. I keep thinking of the man who picked up my mom when she was stranded by the roadside in eight-inch snow that paralyzed our Southern state many years ago. He could have been a creep but he was a lovely guy who just wanted to help. He ended up staying the night at our house because he couldn't get any further on his trip. We were so blessed that a good guy was on that snowy road at that exact time. You had an angel today too.
Thank you for this story and I am SO glad you are okay.
As Patricia G said, I do think there is a lot of kindness out there. Sometimes we are jst more vocal about negative situations.
I'm gld you are fine, please bring your car in though!
See if your paper has a place you can write in.
But I also strongly urge you to get the car to a mechanic. I used to live in MN where it is very cold and that never happened to us. Please get it checked out immediately. You were very lucky today.
Yes, take your car to a garage and have it checked. Cold should not make an accelerator stick.
I am so glad you and your son are okay. What a scarey experience!
It reminded me of the time my daughter and I were running extremely late to catch a plane home for xmas. My daughter was only 3. I had her, our carry-on bag and a large suitcase. I didn't know how I was going to get all of that to the gate on time!
Out of nowhere comes a man who says come on, I'll help you. He grabbed the carry-on and the suitcase and took us all the way through check-in to the gate! When I got to the gate and turned around to thank him, he was gone! To this day, I think he was my guardian angel!
First off, you have a malfunctioning car and you need to take it to the dealer ASAP and report the problem. There have been massive recalls by Toyota and others in the past couple of years because of sticking accelerator issues, and people have died because of it! And if it ever happens again (and I pray it doesn't!) you should immediately shift your car into neutral and then apply the brakes.
I'm so glad, though, that there was a good samaratin nearby; it is heartwarming to hear about the good people out there!
