Photo: Fox9
Beer brings men together, but it can also save a life. It happened in Minnesota a few days ago, when two beer truck delivery guys saved a suicidal man by offering him a cold beer – and a friendly shoulder.
Jason Gabel and Kwame Anderson had just made a drop at a tavern in St. Paul, when they noticed a man sitting on the ledge of an overpass, clearly thinking about ending his own life. This wasn’t the route they usually took, they would later say for the media, so they felt like they needed to do something quick.
They dialed 911, but Anderson knew that the cops could be too late for the man. He tells Fox 9 (video at the bottom of the page) that he channeled his inner Denzel Washington to get the man to open up – and eventually convince him to step off the ledge and back on the bridge.
“I thought about Denzel Washington when he’s acting as a cop in movies, and I thought about when he’s a negotiator,” Anderson says. “I said, ‘Well, I gotta keep this guy entertained somehow because if I wait for police, this thing may be over’.”
It helped that he also had a truck full of cold beer. Even when the cops arrived, Anderson asked for permission to stay with the man, still talking to him. He asked him if he wanted a cold one, so he went to his truck and came back with a pack of Coors Light.
It turns out that all the man needed was a friendly face, someone to listen to him – and a cold beer. He eventually came back to the bridge and is now at the hospital, being evaluated.
“I was extremely relieved,” Anderson says with a smile. “I didn’t plan on saving anybody or doing anything drastic, but I knew when I saw him standing here I wasn’t going to leave until he came off.”
When he’s not driving a truck, Anderson moonlights as a stand-up comedian. He says he asked the man to come to one of his shows when he gets out of the hospital – the beer is on the house.
They dialed 911, but Anderson knew that the cops could be too late for the man. He tells Fox 9 (video at the bottom of the page) that he channeled his inner Denzel Washington to get the man to open up – and eventually convince him to step off the ledge and back on the bridge.
“I thought about Denzel Washington when he’s acting as a cop in movies, and I thought about when he’s a negotiator,” Anderson says. “I said, ‘Well, I gotta keep this guy entertained somehow because if I wait for police, this thing may be over’.”
It helped that he also had a truck full of cold beer. Even when the cops arrived, Anderson asked for permission to stay with the man, still talking to him. He asked him if he wanted a cold one, so he went to his truck and came back with a pack of Coors Light.
It turns out that all the man needed was a friendly face, someone to listen to him – and a cold beer. He eventually came back to the bridge and is now at the hospital, being evaluated.
“I was extremely relieved,” Anderson says with a smile. “I didn’t plan on saving anybody or doing anything drastic, but I knew when I saw him standing here I wasn’t going to leave until he came off.”
When he’s not driving a truck, Anderson moonlights as a stand-up comedian. He says he asked the man to come to one of his shows when he gets out of the hospital – the beer is on the house.
Google News