It’s surreal to think that even our tiniest decisions could lead us to the right place at the right time.
Gerson Taveres had this kind of encounter one evening recently. The delivery driver accepted one last food delivery when he saw something that terrified him. A 2-year-old boy, clad only in a shirt and a diaper, was running across a wide busy street.
Lit only by the scattered streetlights and headlights, the kid could’ve been injured by an oncoming car if the driver had seen him a little bit too late.
The wide road also posed a threat because the kid was crossing at least four lanes, no island in between, and with traffic going in two directions.
As a father of four kids himself, Taveres did not hesitate and jumped out of his car the moment he saw the boy cross his car. He chased after the little kid while waving his hands to catch the attention of oncoming drivers.
Taveres believed that the toddler was distracted by a game on the tablet he was carrying.
The delivery man quickly snatched the boy and took him to the safer side of the road. In his interview with Inside Edition, he shared the undeniable relief he felt when he got the kid.
“I got the boy in my arms,” he told the news outlet. “Thank you, God.”
Commenters lauded Taveres, especially on the emotion he showed throughout the ordeal.
Even just by recalling the incident to the news, he couldn’t help but choke up. Others were also terrified as the whole incident seemed to have hinged purely on luck.
Taveres was at the right time and the right place because he decided to take one last delivery. If he was a bit early or a bit late, or if he did not take the request at all, there’s no way of knowing what could’ve happened to the child.
Meanwhile, Igor Taveres, Gerson’s son, did not hold back his admiration towards his father.
He said he wouldn’t expect anything less for his hero dad.
“What makes me more proud of him was how quick he acted. Fast reaction. Just the way I expect my dad to react. You know? My hero. I love this guy!” the younger Taveres shared with Inside Edition as he pulled his father for a hug.
Commenters on the video were also torn about the boy’s guardians. Some of them criticized the guardians for letting the child run as far as he did.
One of them shared her dismay:
I understand that as a parent it’s easy for a kid to wander off in a blink of an eye. But this seems more than a dangerous mistake, this appears beyond irresponsible.”
Another comment said:
“As a parent, we’ve all had those moments where we weren’t at our best. But I’m not sure how you can explain this. Middle of the night? Kid running in the middle of the highway in a diaper? Hard to explain, but I’d love to hear the parent’s excuse.”
The Los Angeles Police have located the boy’s guardians and said that the Department of Child and Family Services will look into the incident.
But amid the spectrum of speculations, all of them agreed on one thing – Taveres is a hero who did not hesitate to help when action is required.
Watch how this delivery driver saved a 2-year-old child in this terrifying encounter.
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