Letter: Motorists show compassion

Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2002 | 8:52 a.m.

For every vile scumbag on Earth, there are thousands of kind and caring human beings to balance the yin/yang of life.

On a recent night my car stalled in the left-hand turn lane at a very busy intersection (Cheyenne and Rainbow). So I turned on my emergency lights and hoped that someone would help me out of this situation.

Within two to three minutes, a young couple crossed Rainbow and walked over. They asked me if I had a cell phone (I didn't) and then called AAA on theirs. The young man wanted to stay by my car and help direct traffic around me. I told him that they had been of great help and to go on about their evening. I did not want them to be run over by traffic, which happens way too often in Las Vegas.

In just a few minutes, after they left, a gentleman on a Harley stopped, asking if he could help. I let him know that AAA was on their way and he left. To my surprise, a few minutes later, a young man pulled up right behind my car. He let me know that my emergency lights didn't work, so he turned on the emergency lights on his car and said that he would wait until AAA arrived.

When City Towing arrived, the mechanic gave my car battery a boost and told me that he would follow me home in case the car needed another charge. In less than 20 minutes, five Las Vegans came to my aid ... making sure that help was on its way and that I would be safely escorted home.

I left out one very important detail ... I am disabled. I am not physically able to walk to a service station, or a phone, to obtain help. I am also not able to step up to get in a truck (AAA), or SUV, or even a CAT bus.

So a situation that could have been very stressful, and even slightly dangerous, turned into a truly great experience. I can only hope that one day I'll be able to be a "Good Sam," too.

KRISTINE STOKER