I was so tired driving home after work that evening. The traffic was at a stand-still on the Merritt Parkway, reason unknown. When traffic did move it was simply a foot or two at a time. At least that what it felt like in my exhausted mindset.
Hold the phone, that seemed odd and literally made me come out of my trance. I felt a minor jolt and my upper torso moved forward and then returned to the seat back. I looked in my rearview mirror and noticed a fella in his car had hit me from behind. Ugh. We were in the passing lane on the parkway and now both of us had to get out of our cars after placing on our hazard lights.
He acknowledged that he ran into me and was apologetic. We looked at the back of Blue Velvet and the front of his car. He honestly must have hit me at less than 5 miles an hour. Fortunately neither one of our cars had anything observably damaged. Thrilling in my mind as I had only had Blue Velvet for about 4 months.
We discussed if we should call the police and report it. I did not wish to do that because again there was nothing wrong and all this massive traffic was not becoming any more appealing. I certainly didn't want to be there any longer than I had to.
He gave me his insurance information so I would have it in case I noticed something that we did not at that time. I thanked him for the insurance info and also thanked him for bumping into me because “it woke me up.” I literally felt like I was going to fall asleep. His bump got the adrenaline flowing…He found that amusing. I liked that he found it amusing, because that was my goal in that awkward situation.
The second incident occurred when I was pulling out of the parking garage from the hospital. I heard sirens, so of course I pulled over to the right so they could pass by safely and get to where they needed to go. I felt like I hit the curb a little bit, but once they passed me, I made my way back out into the street and headed towards, you guessed it, the Merritt Parkway. I continued to drive down the parkway and was in the passing lane again. Traffic wasn't as excruciating on this evening for some reason. I was looking forward to getting home. I gazed at my dashboard and saw a light come on. It was an alert that the air in my front passenger's tire was going down and it was going down fast. Shit. I turned on my directional to try and make my way over to the right. Success. I then pulled over into the breakdown lane and stopped before an exit. I did not feel comfortable driving Blue Velvet any further. I jumped over to the passenger side of the car and opened the door there so I didn't become a statistic. At least in my mind I was reducing that risk. Yep, that tire was totally flat. I can't remember the last time I had to change a tire. Shhhhit.
I got back into the car to mentally process this issue. I decided to call my son to discuss the situation. He reminded me that I had assistance for these types of episodes through Mazda. Yes! That was correct. I forgot about that.
I called Mazda roadside assistance and explained my dilemma. The representative said she would have someone give me a call to assist. My phone rang after about 10 minutes and there was a tow truck rep on the phone. Explained to him where I was and the reason for my call and he replied "you're in a dangerous spot, we don't usually come out there”. I said, I know I'm in a dangerous spot, that is why I called. He said I can come out there, but I'm gonna have to charge you. I reiterated that Mazda roadside assistance does not apply any charges. He repeated again that it was too dangerous for him to assist me and hung up. Really?!?! He then updated on the Mazda app that the service was completed. What!?!? My irritation, after seeing that, escalated to livid. This guy was attempting to reap financial gain from a person who he perceived as a captive audience without any other choices.
I called roadside assistance back to relay the situation. They were going to work on a second tow truck or roadside assistant company. It was getting dark out now I needed to remain calm and wait for another call or try to change the tire myself, in the decreased light, on a very busy, and now reported “dangerous” highway in Connecticut.
Next, I see headlights pulling up behind me in the breakdown lane. It appeared to be a big truck of some sort. Then someone knocked on my passenger window. I was able to open the window and he just raised his hands like hey what's up. I asked him if he was the man who hung up on me from the tow company which he declined. I explained about the flat tire and he said hold on I can help you. Do you have a spare tire? I get out of the car, opened the area where the spare tire was, and tried to pull it out in an effort to assist this kind person who pulled over. He said that's too heavy for you. I will do it. He pulled out some of his own equipment and I held the flashlight for him while he could change my tire. I then tried to take the flat tire to put it back in my trunk. He again said that's too heavy for you. I will do it.
This perfect stranger, was so helpful. I am not typically a hugger, especially of strangers, but I was so appreciative I asked him if I could hug him. He allowed it. I also don't carry cash, but for some reason I had some that day which I was very pleased about so I could provide him with some funds for his time on that dark, chilly night on the Merritt Parkway.
I can relate to your story Michelle, traffic rush can be frustrating. Despite you facing challenges like a minor accident and a flat tire; a kind stranger's assistance and your positive attitude helped overcome the difficult situation.