Arkansas State Police trooper helps man stranded on side of road in freezing weather
By: On the evening of Saturday, January 20th, Arkansas State Trooper Brandon Bird went far beyond the call of duty to help a stranded driver on a freezing night.
Trooper Bird came across a vehicle on Interstate 40 that he thought was abandoned.
Dashcam video from Trooper Bird’s patrol vehicle shows him discovering an older man in the car, disoriented and out of gas. At the time, it was around 20 degrees outside.
“You’re not in any kind of trouble or anything. I’m just trying to figure out what I can do to try and help you,” Trooper Bird said to the man.
“I can’t explain it, obviously,” the man responded. “I need some help.”
Trooper Bird then said, “Okay. I want to help you. What can I do? Can I take you to a hotel? I don’t want to leave you here. You’ll freeze to death.”
The man told the trooper that he had been stranded for several hours and desperately needed help.
Minutes later, the surveillance video captured the following exchange.
“I want to go over here and pay for your room. Okay?” said Trooper Bird.
“Yes sir,” responded the man.
The video later showed the trooper driving the man to a local hotel and making sure he was safe and warm for the night.
“Alright, man. I got you a room. Okay,” said Trooper Bird after exiting the hotel. “I’ll take you over here to it, and then I’ll call your brother and let him know where you are at so he can pick you up in the morning. Okay?”
According to Arkansas State Police, the man’s brother, who lives on the other side of the state, came and got him the next morning.
Arkansas State Police say with the subfreezing temperatures, who knows if the man would have survived the night in the car.