A truck driver is being hailed as a hero after saving the life of a man who was trying to commit suicide-by-truck.
Stephen Rodriguez Jr. was driving on Highway 99 in Modesto, CA when he saw a man fall from the overpass and land 30 feet in front of him. He swerved and was able to avoid the man and came to a stop by the next overpass. He looked behind him and saw that the man was still moving in the darkness and knew that if he didn’t do something, he would be hit.
Acting quickly, Rodriguez backed his truck up, using his hazard lights to direct oncoming driver into other lanes. He stopped when he got to the man and got out of his truck, using a flashlight to alert other drivers of his presence.
According to Rodriguez, the man’s leg was broken and his head was bleeding.
“He said, ‘I just jumped,’ and I said, ‘Why would you jump?’ and he said, ‘Because I’m tired, I’m tired,’ ” Rodriguez told the Modesto Bee.
When Rodriguez turned back to direct traffic away from them, the other man tried to crawl into another lane, but Rodriguez hauled him onto the side of the highway.
“He just looked up at me and cried,” he said. “You can see when a person hurts that bad; I knew I did the right thing. I just did what was natural.”
When he was asked later whether he was angry that the man had jumped in front of his truck, Rodriguez, a 4th generation trucker with 20 years of experience, replied that “People are going through different things in their life and I understand that.”
Source: modbee, gobytrucknews
Stephen Rodriguez Jr. you did good. I hope that guy gets help and makes a full recovery.
The Lord had him at the right place a the right time.
Way to go Stephen. God bless you
Yes, our love of life can get us through the most painful times in life, but some people lose all hope & faith that their pain will subside. You may view them as weak and selfish. Judgments about suicide by those who don’t have intimate connections with family or friends who are so afflicted by dark thoughts will be voiced without compassion or restraint. This truck driver wisely places no blame on the man who wanted to die in front of his truck. Thanks be to God he was able to stop in time.