By Joyce Caughron Rhodes
Special to the Enterprise
I knew as I traveled down my Memory Lane I would come to the path “Good Samaritan”. Have you ever had a good Samaritan help you or been one yourself? This tale starts with ‘Once upon a time, a long time ago.’ Now you know this is going to have a happy ending. I remember this happened on my birthday, January 3rd. Harry Lee and several of his brothers were pallbearers for a funeral and they picked him up and I was alone. I decided, since it was my birthday, that I would treat myself with a new hairdo at a beauty shop in Dyersburg. I knew the weather looked bad, but I thought I would be okay.
I got into our fairly new black Pontiac. I loved this car and I remember when we purchased it, several years before. The first time I saw it, was in the showroom of the dealership, with the largest red bow I have ever seen, sitting on top of the car. This was love at first sight and we purchased it. Now, when I left home there was no snow on the ground. Before I got to Dyersburg, it started snowing. The longer it snowed the worst it got. It was almost blizzard stage when I started home. I remember ice was mixed with the snow and the wind was blowing so strong, it slammed the snow and ice on houses, trees, cars and everything. I could hardly see. I turned on the windshield wipers and as soon as they swiped across, the windows were covered again
Now, I have always heard you get wisdom with age. Well, I still hadn’t earned my wisdom, because if I had, I would not have left home that morning, knowing we might get a big snowfall. I started down the Dyersburg Hill, you know, on the other side of the long bridge. I was traveling very slow because I could hardly see a foot in front of me. The car started going from one side to the other. I had no control. I learned later it was because the tires were packed with the ice and snow. I turned the steering wheel one way and the car went the other. One side looked like it might be at least 20 or 25 feet deep and the other about 10 to 15 feet deep. I realized I was going down the drop-off. I may have had some wisdom. I had heard if you see you’re going to have a wreck, lay your head down to protect it; so, I did. When the car landed in the drop-off, it was not visible from the road. I could not open my doors, because I had gone through small trees, blocking the doors.
This is where my good Samaritans comes in. Mr. & Mrs. Daniel “Dan” Wallace, from Lake Drive Road in Samburg, Tn. were traveling in front of me, much further down the road. He looked in his rearview mirror and saw my car was not behind him. They crossed the bridge, turned around and came back. He helped me to get out of the car and they took me home. I will never forget this act of kindness. How many people, in that kind of weather, would turn around and come back to help a stranger? Of course, after Harry Lee found out I was okay, what did he say? “No wonder you went off the road, you were laying down.”
