Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer.” Other times, the bravest among us are the ones who act first, putting aside their own comfort and safety to help a stranger in need.
Truck driver David Frederickson did exactly that. Frederickson and his son were traveling along I-10 near Biloxi, Mississippi when suddenly, right in front of them, a car t-boned a semi, striking the semi’s fuel tank and causing a large fireball. If you watch the video, taken from Frederickson’s dash cam, you can see the explosion at the 30-second mark. It’s not pretty – the car erupts in smoke and flames almost immediately, while traffic screeches to a halt.
Less than a minute after the crash, Frederickson, armed with a fire extinguisher, jumped out of his truck and headed straight for the burning vehicle. It’s a good thing he had the bravery to take charge. When he reached the accident, he found the doors of the car were jammed shut. The driver, who broke her leg in the collision, and her one-year-old granddaughter, were both trapped inside. Frederickson was able to wrench the door open and pull both the grandmother and the child to safety – all before police and firefighters arrived on the scene two minutes after the crash occurred.
In an interview, Frederickson, who doesn’t consider himself a hero (we certainly do!), said: “If anyone learns anything from it, I want them to know, if they see these trucks out there, they’re not bad people with aggressive drivers. They’re good people.”
Indeed, seeing someone like David Frederickson act bravely, selflessly, and – yes – heroically is an important reminder of all the good there is in the world. Even when awful things happen, there are angels, superheroes, and just plain “good people” in our midst. Sometimes they have wings, sometimes they wear capes, and sometimes they drive big rigs with eighteen wheels.
Be extra brave this weekend,
~Bob
