An Uber driver went above and beyond when he was stranded for hours on Interstate 95 in Virginia, to ensure that his young passenger arrived home safely.
DaVante Williams drove through heavy snow and gridlock traffic for 5.5 hours with his teenage rider, whom he described as “emotional” and “overwhelmed.” Dense snowfall and freezing temperatures slammed the region between Richmond and Washington, D.C., causing a massive commuter crisis, reported Fox 5 Atlanta.
Hundreds of travelers, including Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., were trapped in their cars, like Williams, until Tuesday morning. Fortunately, no injuries or deaths were reported.
Williams works as a full-time realtor and property manager in Washington, D.C., and he also drives for Uber and Lyft on the side. On Monday evening, he had no idea he’d be in for such a ride when he picked up a teenager on his way home to Williamsburg, Virginia, about 150 miles away.
The young passenger was supposed to take the train home, but it was canceled due to an obstruction, so she called an Uber. Williams met her at Union Station and drove her to I-95. Their journey, however, came to a halt about 20 miles in, near Lorton, Virginia. Williams tried so many times to exit the highway but was eventually forced back into the interstate’s deadlock.
“So, I get back on 95, and in my mind, I’m just saying, ‘Maybe this is a little fender bender. It will be all over shortly,’” Williams recalled. “One hour went by, two hours went by,” remembers Williams. The female traveler became “very emotional” after realizing she was now stuck on the highway. Williams made sure to communicate with her family assuring them he would get her home.
He was able to exit the freeway at 7:30 a.m. and book a hotel for his passenger at 8:15 a.m. to rest and make other travel plans. Eventually, a family member found the rider and brought back her home.
“I’m happy it was me that was her driver. Any other driver, I’m not sure what would have happened. And based on her energy and her presence, I felt I was put there for a reason to do what I did,” said Williams.
“We’re currently dealing with a pandemic and so many other things. People are mentally overwhelmed,” he continued.
