Florida Uber driver saves passenger from committing suicide

By KwakMin-jung Posted : August 13, 2017, 17:37 Updated : August 13, 2017, 17:37

A heroic Uber driver, Chad Farley, saved a suicidal passenger with his quick wit and compassionate actions. [Courtesy of Chad Farley / Facebook ]


St. Petersburg, Florida - There have been many horrendous stories of Uber drivers making headlines, but this story will warm your heart.

Chad Farley, who had been an Uber driver for about 11 months, picked up a 28-year-old man who wanted to head to the Skyway Bridge on Monday night. Farley thought the destination was very unusual.

Two started striking up a conversation and Farley found out the man had recently been diagnosed with brain cancer. He said there was just 30% chance of survival. Farley shared his story of losing his mother to cancer. Two men bonded over the talk.

Then Farley asked the man why he wanted to go to the Skyway Bridge. The reason the passenger gave didn't make sense. Farley told Fox 13 news, "He said his doctor told him to go to the middle of the Skyway, pull over, and use the phones to get an ambulance to take him to Tampa."

Instead of taking the man to the middle of the bridge, Farley had him talked to the toll operator and supervisor, according to Tampa Bay Times. Farley "made eye signals to her that something was up with" his passenger. The supervisor explained to the man that it was not possible to have an ambulance pick him up from the bridge, but may be possible from the bridge's rest area. Farley drove to the rest area and the passenger was trying to assure the concerned Uber driver that "he wasn't going to jump."

Before taking off,  Farley prayed with the passenger and asked the man to take a selfie with him. The man agreed and Farley managed to take a photo of the passenger.

As he was pulling out of the area, Farley called 911 and sent the selfie for identification. The Florida Highway Patrol responded to the scene immediately. When they arrived, the man was still sitting on the bench where Farley left him. When he was the authorities, he jumped into the water. The troopers jumped in after him and rescued him successfully. After being transported to a nearby hospital, the man was in stable condition.

When Farley's heroic actions were publicized, people hailed him as a true hero on social media. Also, Uber praised his action. In the statement released to the Tampa Bay Times, Uber said, "We deeply appreciate Mr. Farley's quick thinking and compassion for his rider, as well as law enforcement's fast response."



Farley recounted the whole incident on his Facebook page. People praised his compassionate action. 
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