No Good Deed Goes Unpunished on Houston's Gulf Freeway

The wee hours of Thursday saw an exceptionally brave accident witness come to the aid of a driver stranded in the middle of the Gulf Freeway with a wrecked GMC pickup truck. You'll probably agree that the middle of a busy Houston, TX freeway doesn't make the list of places that you want to be in the middle of the night. Or in the middle of the day, or really at any time at all.

Yet this Good Samaritan not only did not simply pass the wreck by and go on the way. This brave soul stopped to help, even going so far as to join the driver of the wrecked pickup truck in the middle of the busy Gulf Freeway.

And what did the Good Samaritan receive as a reward for this good and brave deed? Another vehicle, a black Toyota Avalon, came along and smacked the wrecked GMC pickup truck into the Good Samaritan and the pickup's driver. The driver of the red GMC pickup died at the scene of the wreck from this second crash. The Good Samaritan's life was spared with only minor injuries.

I'd like to believe that Someone shielded this brave person for the good deed. I definitely don't want to discourage others from stopping to help accident victims when they can. But knowing the nature of Houston traffic, I would maybe suggest that Good Samaritans avoid stepping into the middle of busy Houston, TX freeways, especially at night.

I'm saddened that the pickup truck's driver, who survived his own accident after striking a concrete barrier at high speed and then spinning out, received fatal injuries from a second Gulf Freeway accident. But I'm greatly relieved to hear that the brave Good Samaritan will survive to perhaps help others in the future. The Good Samaritan's bravery, selflessness, and willingness to help sets an example we could all stand to learn from.