I Saw What You Did on West Congress Street in Lafayette

Traffic in Lafayette, Louisiana can be very fast-paced and at times can be a bit scary for drivers and even pedestrians.

Some of the busiest roads in Lafayette are four-lane with a turning lane in the middle and too often I see pedestrians standing in the turning lane as they attempt to cross two more lanes, but last week I saw something more than just a person standing in the turning lane.

As I was approaching West Congress and Guilbeau Rd., I noticed that there was an elderly man in a motorized wheelchair sitting in the turning lane as he awaited a shot to cross the busy roadway.

I remember telling myself as I approached the man that I hoped nothing happened to the man as he sat in the turning, and that I hoped he would make it across the street safely.

Well, as I got closer to the man in the wheelchair, I saw someone in front of me slow down and then stop, in the middle of two lanes. I asked myself, "What are they doing on this busy road?"

It turned out that the vehicle ahead of me stopped all oncoming traffic to let the man in the wheelchair cross the road. And yes, I know that it wasn't safe or even legal for this person to stop traffic, but what that driver did may have saved the man's life who was in the wheelchair.

Drivers are so distracted these days and it only takes a second for an accident to happen, and if stopping traffic on West Congress meant this elderly man getting to his destination safely, I am fine with the decision the driver made on that day.

So, to the driver in a silver pickup truck in Lafayette, Thank You. Your kindness and concern for that elderly man did not go unnoticed on that day.

As a reminder to everyone on the roads, please be on the lookout for some on motorized scooters or in wheelchairs, it's their only form of transportation and they too need to get places.