Good samaritans car rescue during winter storm

On Wednesday, March 7th, 2018, I boarded an early regional train ride from Center city where I work, to home in Media, to avoid any potential cancellation later due to the winter storm that had already begun. Once I arrived in Media around 2pm, and after extensively, with nothing other than my small snow scrapper, clearing my car of the heavy snow that enveloped all its windows and outside mirrors at the station, I applied the common trick of going up the hill on Media Station road as quickly as I could, leaving my foot on the gas pedal so that I didn’t lose traction on the both icy and snow laden road. Nevertheless, even though I had gotten through similar layers of snow in the past, in my front wheel drive car, I did loose traction. Despite my best efforts at scrapping and breaking away as many chunks of snow and ice from under my car and around my tires, every attempt to reengage my car left the wheels spinning in place. I started to wonder if I would be stuck there the whole day and if I had enough gas to keep the car running and warm. My husband has a rear wheel drive car and there was no way he could reach me in this weather. The police had already been inundated with calls because of the weather. I was somewhere close to 10 yards from the flat surface of Orange street.

A man pulled his truck on Orange street. Before the end of the ordeal I managed to get his first name, Dante. He first helped a woman in a car in front of me, with kids and dog, get up on Orange street. I felt a great sigh of relieve when he then drove down towards me and told me as he was making his way down to the train station: “I’ll be right back to help you”. Surely, he came back. Walking behind him was another man holding a big red shovel, a welcomed and encouraging sight compared to my small snow scrapper in this massive snow. He had given his name as Danny. Danny shoveled more snow than I could, off my wheels, off the sides, in front of and right behind my car. Dante tried to direct me in pulling my car out of its trapped position, the way he had done with the lady he had just previously helped get up the hill. Both Dante and Danny encouraged me keep my foot on the gas to maintain traction, or to go in reverse where Danny had plowed as a mean to better propel me forward when I switched to forward driver. However, several trials didn’t resolve the deadlock. Dante than generously offered to take to the driver’s seat. He managed to move my car a little higher than where they had found me by making sharp left and right turns. Meanwhile Danny relentlessly shoveled around the car each time it stopped. Although the car wouldn’t budge much further, Dante, in his Septa uniform, tried until he let us know that his train had arrived, and he had to go. I thanked Dante and managed to get his name before he left. After Dante left, Danny took over the driver’s seat and repeated the maneuvers of trying to get my sky-blue car, which now roared like a stubborn cat, up the hill. Shortly thereafter, two people that knew Danny pulled up on top of Orange street. One of his friends tied a rope to the front of my car and tried to pull it that way, but the rope broke. Finally, and unexpectedly, after several other maneuvers, Danny managed to pull my car off the hill and onto the flat surface of Orange street so that I could now make my way home with ease. I tried to get a selfie with Danny and his friends on my phone, after Danny pulled my car in front of the local Deli right across the train station on Orange street, next to his friends' truck, but the camera didn’t cooperate as the snow glare made it hard to focus on an image. Luckily, before we parted, I was able to take a picture of them sitting in the truck. I thanked them profusely, or at least I hope I did so profusely.

All that rushed through my mind in the midst of being stuck with my car in the snow, was how petered out, soaked and finally relieved I was to have escaped the ordeal. It didn’t occur to me to give them a tip or offer them a drink or perhaps a dinner at the local pub. I said thank you, but I’d like to show my gratitude better, if I could somehow reach them and treat them to a local pub or restaurant this spring or summer. If it hadn’t been for Dante and Danny’s relentless efforts, I never would have made it home that soon. Thanks to them I was able to start heading home about an hour after arriving at the Media train station. They were like angels that fate placed on my path on that stormy day. Above is a picture of Danny and his crew of good Samaritan friends

Thank you so much!

Malela Mwamufiya Werner