did i do the right thing?

[DroidXcon]

So tonight i was driving home, when on the side of the road i saw a car stuck in the snow back and as i passed they hit their brake lights , so i figured i would turn around and see how i could help. It was a young guy maybe 25, he was obviously drunk begging for help. he was deep in the snow bank and couldnt get out(ontop of being drunk). So i pulled him out and told him to leave the car and get in my car that i would take him home before the cops showed up.

So did i do the right thing, i mean in his eyes im sure he sees me as his savior. But now im having a conflict of conscience.

What would you have done??

 

[RHChan84]

Sounds to me like the right thing. One less drunk driver means one less accident and you could of saved not just the driver but someone else's life and/or family. That ticket or tow expense will be better then the ticket/jail/lawyer.

I wouldn't of picked up a random person off the road just maybe because of where I'm located but I would of called a cab. But if I was in Texas, where I travel to a lot, I would of done the same thing.

 

[Chris Kerrigan]

Man, this is a tough one to decipher. That's one of those right shoulder vs. left shoulder kind of things. My concern, mainly for you, is the police are going to want to know what happened to the owner of the vehicle when they get to it in the morning (or some time tonight, for that matter).

It's hard to say what I would have done in that situation, but knowing me, I probably would have called the police. I have zero tolerance for people who drink and drive, so maybe I'm a bit crude when it comes to that, but that's just me. Like I said, I'm just concerned that the police are going to get led to you and want to know what happened. Morally though, I think you did the right thing (and in the least, had the absolute right intentions in mind).

 

[deblyn]

So tonight i was driving home, when on the side of the road i saw a car stuck in the snow back and as i passed they hit their brake lights , so i figured i would turn around and see how i could help. It was a young guy maybe 25, he was obviously drunk begging for help. he was deep in the snow bank and couldnt get out(ontop of being drunk). So i pulled him out and told him to leave the car and get in my car that i would take him home before the cops showed up.

So did i do the right thing, i mean in his eyes im sure he sees me as his savior. But now im having a conflict of conscience.

What would you have done??

DroidXcon... kudos for being the Knight in Shining Armour. And, yes, this is a circumstance that deserves some "brain time".

Firstly, if this guy was really "that" drunk, then I think you did the correct thing by taking him with you. If you could have, it would have been nice to leave a note on the dash board for the police when they showed up... presumably before someone else did. Secondly, and this one might cause some nose scrunching, I think a call to the police would have been the right thing to do. Not just from a moral stand point, i.e., because the guy for all intents and purposes had an accident and was stone-cold-out-of-it, but, also because you have now interjected yourself into the equation and perhaps left yourself open to a certain amount of liability. Calling the polilce tends to throw the ball in THEIR court... you give them your name and phone number to contact in case they need to get a hold of you and "the drunk", and then they can decide whether to have the car towed before another motorist either hits it, or someone decides to steal it; or, worse yet, while stealing it, uses that car in the commission of a crime. (Yeah, I know, my mind is really convoluted!!!) But, this is the sorry state of affairs of our oh-so-bogged-down legal system.

Whilst being the nice guy, make certain that you are not the one who finishes last, or not at all.

BTW... you DID get the license plate of the car AND the guy's name, phone number and address... right?!

Farewell, my good Knight!

 

[Chrisy]

I would have called the cops but stayed with him so he was all right. Til the cops came. Driving drunk is illegal. Personally I think it's wrong too. He could have killed someone. You've now enabled him. He may kill someone next time. He needed to be dealt with by the cops.

 

[Cyber Warrior]

It was good that you helped him but as long as he couldn't get back in the car again and possibly do more damage I would have left him to deal with the consequences. On the other hand if he was able to get his car out and start driving again you probably saved anybody in his path from getting killed. I would have probably played it safe and taken his keys and thrown them in the woods.

 

[PvilleComp]

You can Monday Morning QB this all you want, but at the end of the day you helped someone in need in the best way you could at the time. (Taking a DD off the road is also good.) Don't worry about what if's at this point.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Yourdogsdead]

I see it that you may have prevented a loss of life. So yes, you did the right thing.

 

[RHChan84]

There are many other things that you could of do but it's one of those situation that you think as you go. And then after, you would have thought of other things you could of done.

 

[Baconator]

Well,
If I passed a guy stuck in a snow bank like that I would have left him there. I know that sounds cruel and mean but it is because I knew people that have done that and the person they tried to help killed them. I would be to scared to drive some stranger who is drunk somewhere. Good job! You saved someone! And it is good to hear you are alive!

 

[Chrisy]

You can Monday Morning QB this all you want, but at the end of the day you helped someone in need in the best way you could at the time. (Taking a DD off the road is also good.) Don't worry about what if's at this point.

Just my 2 cents.

I'm not sure why everyone keeps saying he took a drunk driver off the road. The drunk driver drove off the road himself and got stuck in a snow bank. He wasn't going anywhere. All this guy did was cover up his crime. The police will find the drunk guy IF the car was his and he'll be questioned if they find the car there.

What will most likely happen is the drunk guy will do the same thing again because he had no consequence to his actions.

But I agree, what's done is done. You can't go back and change it anyway. This isn't meant as an insult, but I'm guessing the OP is young (18-25) with no children. You may think back on this in the future and decide you would have handled it differently.

 

[igotsanevo4g]

If your drunk and drive yourself off the road into the snow, that's a consequence enough, I figure someone would learn their lesson from that.
I think what you did was fine, call me what you like but if you were the drunk Guy in sure you'd feel differently.

The average dui costs 10,000 dollars by the end.

 

[DroidXcon]

The OP is 30. I made a decission on the fly, my intentions were good. Was it the right or wrong thing could go a million ways if we play the "what if " game. If this ever happens again I will probably make a different decission, Chrisy I appreciate what you are saying and I agree. People will not always learn, and its better tio let them deal with the consequent for the greater good....but what's done is done.and hopefully he along as myself learned from it . If you know me at all from tge forums you know I go out of my way to help with the best intentions but no one is perfect we all make mistakes.

I'm not sure why everyone keeps saying he took a drunk driver off the road. The drunk driver drove off the road himself and got stuck in a snow bank. He wasn't going anywhere. All this guy did was cover up his crime. The police will find the drunk guy IF the car was his and he'll be questioned if they find the car there.

What will most likely happen is the drunk guy will do the same thing again because he had no consequence to his actions.

But I agree, what's done is done. You can't go back and change it anyway. This isn't meant as an insult, but I'm guessing the OP is young (18-25) with no children. You may think back on this in the future and decide you would have handled it differently.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk

 

[Chrisy]

I have no doubt your intentions were good. I'm your age but I think I feel differently because I've had experience with a drunk driver. It was terrible.

But you're right, he may have been scared straight, let's hope for the best.

It's a hassle to call a cab and leave your car but it can be worth it.

 

[igotsanevo4g]

Thinking monetarily though, 10,000 would ruin a young Guy like that most likely. I know it would ruin me, thats honestly why I couldn't ever drink and drive. I'd have to move back home and feel like a schmuck if I got a 10k bill.

What's done is done dude, but did you tell someone what happened when you dropped him off? As in one of his friends.

 

[Chrisy]

10,000 is nothing compared to killing someone. When you choose the behavior, you choose the consequences. That huge bill might be what someone needs (in general, not saying this applies to this case necessarily) to learn to not do it again.

I'm wondering if he ever got his car unstuck!

 

[RUSH]

This is an opinionated topic.. So every one is going to give theirs. Personally, I know me I would have done the same thing. Maybe it wasn't the best decision in public eyes, but in your eyes it wasn't the worst either.

You did what you do not because of obligations, but as a human being. Was it the right or wrong thing to do... let god be your judge. (Thumb up.)

 

[Paul627g]

Wow this is a hard one. I guess at that moment in time we would all have our own ways of dealing with this. We all know what drunk drivers can do. I personally have seen the more horrible side of it all being that I was a tow truck driver on call for 4 local police departments for about 5 years. I've towed them all and as a tow truck driver your responsible for "cleanup" at the scene of vehicles and any wreckage left behind. So I've seen more than I would like to have seen at times.

I think if it was me, I would assured the guy things were okay by staying with him but I think a call to the local PD would of been the best thing to do for the driver.

Like I said this is a tough one. Don't beat yourself silly over this one your intentions were good just maybe not exactly the best judgment for this situation.

 

[RHChan84]

Everyone is going to have a different view about this. Some will say this is wrong and some will say it's the right thing. It's all about the past and what we have experienced.

 

[ragnarokx]

When you came across that situation, you made a choice - you chose to help.

Now you have another choice to make. There are many different ways to look at this, and the one you choose will determine whether your actions were right or wrong. There is no need to look for a definitive answer, because there is none. Good luck.