Uber Driver And Passenger Save Family From Burning SUV
IRVING (CBSDFW.COM) - From Uber driver to hero. A woman - and her customer - jumped into action and may have saved the life of a family who had no idea their car was on fire.
To Michele Broussard, working as an Uber driver is more than a job. For the former 911 dispatcher, it's also a responsibility.
"No question. I know while I'm out here driving, working, I'm going to help," Broussard says.
She had the chance Wednesday afternoon on Highway 183 Eastbound in Irving - for someone who didn't even know she was in danger.
"We noticed a car to our right, the whole undercarriage was on fire. My passenger, a businessman, he noticed that there was a woman and children in the car," she says.
Broussard steered her car in front of the burning SUV, coaxing the driver to pull over.
"I pulled over and jumped out of the car to go back and tell them to get out of the car. My passenger, to my surprise, also got out of the car."
Inside, they found a mother and two children.
"She was shocked at first, and then she was very upset," Broussard says. "I guess they were in the middle of a move, and the kids' stuff was in the car. She wanted to get the stuff out. We said, 'No, you can't.' We were afraid that it would hit the gas tank and explode."
After Broussard ushered them to safety, she captured cell phone video of the flames. Meanwhile, her customer walked to this nearby bank and withdrew money to help the victim. For both Uber driver and customer, it was an unexpected journey before they reached their destination.
"When he got out of the car and got his luggage, he shook my hand, kind of like, 'Alright, we did something good today.'"
Broussard said she did worry about her own safety when she approached the SUV. But she said the necessity of helping far outweighed the risks.
