When I was booking Uber cab for a local drive on the noon of 31st December, I didn’t expect that my interaction with a cab driver will leave an ever-lasting impact on me. As the cab driver Rakesh reached to pick me, I noticed that his eyes were red and he was looking very sleepy. Worried and frustrated after seeing his eyes, I asked him to explain why he opted to pick my call. What he narrated left me amazed.
At 1:00 am that day, the driver was out to drop Ritu (a Dwarka resident) to home. While crossing Delhi, both of them noticed a truck which was rushing in a zigzag manner. Rakesh soon realized that the truck driver is sleepy. When he told this to Ritu, she also got concerned. Rakesh decided to follow the truck from behind, honk continuously and use dippers so that the truck driver wakes up, but after 15/20 minutes he found no substantial impact. Ritu suggested Rakesh overtake and drive parallel to the truck, but he refused to do that as it was too risky. Within the next few minutes, the truck crashed in front of them into a pillar.
Rakesh said to me, “I looked at Madam. Madam took no time to think. She got out of the car and joined me in rescue efforts. But sir, the impact was very hard. The driver was trapped inside his truck and he was bleeding”. “Ritu Madam called police and ambulance to inform them about the tragedy”, he added.
Cab Driver Rakesh who saved a life with the help of his passenger
It was not easy for Rakesh and Ritu to pull the driver. Both of them tried to stop vehicles passing by, but no one stopped. After a few minutes, Rakesh took his car and blocked the road. “After some time, there was a traffic jam, and finally, a crowd gathered. Then with our combined efforts, we pulled him out of the wreck. Police arrived and the truck driver was found alive. He was taken to a hospital,” added Rakesh.
Rakesh showed me his bloodstained cloth, smiled and said, “Sorry Sir. I had to earn for the day. Don’t worry, I will not sleep”
I had no words left.
– mailed by Vaibhav Saxena
