Sometimes a thank you can reach as far as it needs to go to be received.
Emily Clarke never expected her Facebook post, thanking a Queensland truck driver, would go viral, but it did.
She wrote the post as a way to give thanks to the truck driver who went out of his way to make sure she and her boyfriend, Jay, made it through a severe storm safely.
While traveling down the Bruce Highway in Australia, Emily and Jay encountered one of the worst storms they had ever seen.
The Rain
The water was flooding both sides of the highway and the couple did not think they would be able to drive through it and remain safe.
Flash flooding on highways can prove dangerous, and even fatal in some cases, as cars lose traction when the water becomes too high or reduces visibility to nearly zero.
The couple realized the danger they were in while already on the road.
Emily wrote on her Facebook wall,
“We noticed the truck moving over to the left and I asked Jay, ‘Do you think he is pushing the excess water off the road for us?’”
She added that the storm was so bad that at one point she could only see the brake lights from the truck directly in front of her. It wasn’t safe for her to stop driving, so she tucked her car behind the large vehicle, and the trucker driving it guided her and used his indicators to let her know if there were any hazards coming up.
Their Savior
Emily stated that she had a sickening feeling that if they stopped, the situation would be more dangerous than it was for them to just continue driving. She followed the truck until he turned off the road and parked near a restaurant.
Immediately after stopping, Jay got out of the car and met the driver to say thank you for guiding them to safety. He learned that the driver went by the name Footie and was from Melbourne. Emily noted that Footie was extremely humble and kind.
Emily shared what Footie told them:
“I could see more than you, and if you were my family, I would only hope that another truck driver would do that for them.”
Emily and Jay offered to buy Footie a drink and sincerely thanked him again from the bottom of their hearts for helping to keep them safe during the storm.
Emily posted,
“To all the Footies out there on the road, looking out for us during this crazy weather and especially at this time of the year when the roads are the busiest, we know you have a job to do, but we appreciate you!”
Her message was heard loud and clear across the internet, and it was shared far and wide. We all want those who have made an impact in our lives to know that we appreciate it.
Message Received
Footie surprisingly responded to Emily’s message, shared more than 10,000 times and liked more than 33,000 times, by saying,
“Well, that’s very unexpected. I’ve been contacted by plenty of people today about a young family that said some very nice things about my conduct as a driver in some pretty terrible conditions in North Queensland yesterday. Without sounding like a total knob, thanks to everyone, including my beautiful family, friends and strangers that have commented. I am absolutely gobsmacked by the interest. It’s nothing I wouldn’t think that any trucker wouldn’t do to try and keep people as safe as possible. Special thanks for the kind words, Clarke family. Merry Christmas to all and a safe and Happy New Year.”
No matter where you live in the world, whether you’re traveling through rain, sun or snow, don’t forget about the other kind souls, families, and people who are on the road for a living that may be on the same highway with you.
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