An 87-year-old woman who recently backed into a patrol car during a traffic stop received help from a Utah Highway Patrol trooper who enlisted several coworkers to drive the woman over three hours to see her ill son, whom she believed was dying, KTLA sister station Fox 13 reported.
Helen Smith was pulled over for a traffic violation on Dec. 5 in Utah’s Miller County, and after Trooper Jeff Jones issued her a warning she put the car in reverse and backed into his patrol vehicle.
After the collision, Smith told Jones she had bad eyesight and had a difficult time seeing the road, Fox 13 reported.
Jones then decided it wasn’t safe for Smith to drive, and helped make sure she got to her son safely.
“We as law enforcement officers out there and troopers … we’re humans first, you know? We understand that people need help in different situations, and we are willing to help out,” Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Todd Royce told Fox 13.
Jones arranged for Smith’s vehicle to be driven to a safe location, then he drove her to Juab County, where Trooper Jared Jensen picked her up and drove her to Utah County. Trooper Chris Bishop took over from there, transporting her to Salt Lake County to be picked up by Trooper Andrew Pollard, who finished the journey.
In all, the troopers drove about 3 1/2 hours.
According to a department news release, Jones had not been directed by a supervisor to initiate the carpool.
“He recognized an urgent need and provided a solution. He saw this as a service that needed to be rendered and acted. It was the right thing to do,” the news release stated, according to Fox 13.
KTLA’s sister station Fox 13 contributed to this report.