I struggled to decide exactly where to place this particular posting. My first thought would have placed it in our “Is It Just Me?” category. However, the more I thought about it, I had to ask myself: “What were they thinking?”
I first heard about this story on cable TV news … three different stations. Then I read about it in two different newspapers and finally checked it out on the Internet. I did so to make certain that I was getting all the facts because initially I thought it must have been a prank. However, it’s apparently one of those situations that is stranger than fiction. Let’s see what you think.
A snowy Friday night in Denver … about 9 p.m. Bus driver Jim Moffett was driving his Regional Transportation District bus on his regular route serving his regular passengers as he always has. Two elderly women exit the bus to get to their trailer home across the street.
Noting the bad weather, the rough stretch of road and the age of his passengers, the concerned bus driver left the bus, along with another kind passenger, to slow traffic and help the elderly ladies cross the road. The four people had made it about halfway across the road and most of the northbound traffic had slowed to let them go the rest of the way. However, a pick-up truck driver simply couldn’t wait and sped around traffic entering the left-hand turn lane.
He plowed right into the bus driver but not before the good Samaritan pushed the old ladies and the other passenger out of the way saving their lives. Now the bus driver is in St. Anthony Central Medical Center with bleeding in the brain, broken bones in his face, a dislocated shoulder, a possible ruptured spleen and liver and several other injuries.
Bus driver Moffett and the other concerned passenger who volunteered to assist the elderly ladies both received a jaywalking ticket from the Colorado State Patrol. The Rocky Mountain News reported that the two elderly women haven’t been cited but the investigation is ongoing. By the way, there was no crosswalk at this intersection.
I wonder how the elderly ladies felt after that incident? How about the other passengers on the bus or the local school children who read this story the following day in the paper or saw the report on television. Will they be eager to show kindness when needed?
Maybe officials should focus on painting a crosswalk rather than ticketing the good Samaritans who risked their lives to make certain the elderly ladies arrived safely at home.
What were they thinking?
About Harry K. Jones
Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.