An Arkansas State Police trooper came to the aid of an driver in emotional distress who had been stranded for several hours in freezing temperatures over the weekend.
Footage from a dashboard camera captured the encounter Saturday between Trooper Brandon Bird and a motorist along Interstate 40, KAIT-TV reports. Bird initially thought the vehicle had been abandoned, but he discovered a disoriented man still inside.
"I need some help," the driver, 56, is heard telling Bird in the video.
The man had run out of gas while on his way back from Missouri, and he had been stranded for several hours. He told Bird that he had planned to stay in his car overnight, despite temperatures only reaching the 20s.
"He was wearing shorts, he didn't have any clothes in the car," Bird told KATV-TV. "He had no bags of clothes, he had no shoes, no socks anywhere in the car or on his feet."
Bird reassured the driver that he would get the man a hotel room where he could "turn on the heater and watch TV" while Bird contacted the man's brother, who lived on the other side of the state.
"OK, I trust you," the driver is heard saying in the body camera footage.
“The man’s emotional distress, combined with the dangerously cold temperatures, could have proved to be a lethal mix had he stayed in his car overnight,” the agency stated in a news release. “Trooper Bird’s gentle persistence and kindness may have saved his life. His actions are a testament to the Arkansas State Police’s unwavering dedication and commitment to serving and protecting the community.”
