Beacon of the day | Heroic taximan takes strangers to hospital… and stays with them
August 11, 2020Dale Martin was transporting five passengers in his taxi on the afternoon of July 9 when he observed two vehicles that crashed moments earlier near Guanaboa Vale Police Station in St. Catherine.
He jumped into action when his eyes caught two injured strangers – a crying mother and her bloodied daughter, who were traveling in one of the ill-fated cars.
Martin, who lives at Cudjoes Hill in the Point Hill area of St. Catherine, said a number of people at the scene were ignoring the cries for help, and instead were busy videotaping.
He unloaded his taxi and took the mother and her daughter to Spanish Town Hospital.
He did not leave them there.
Martin stayed at the hospital for hours until the woman and her child were treated and released in the night. By that time, the woman’s husband also arrived at the medical facility.
Martin ended up taking the family from the hospital to a home in Portmore – as was requested by the family.
When asked to state what initially whipped him into action, the taxi operator disclosed that he was moved particularly when he saw the bloodied child.
“It could have been my little girl, because mi get two kids,” he told The Beacon. “You have to give to receive. Do good to someone; you would want the same favour done to you.”
Martin said the family has remained in contact with him, and has invited him to church.
Meanwhile, the injured woman, who actually is a primary school teacher – Terry-Ann Douglas McNeil, said the accident unfolded while she was travelling from Spanish Town to Point Hill with her daughter Angel Johnson.
She said her car was hit when a speeding vehicle failed at overtaking another.
The teacher, who said many onlookers were unwilling to help, expressed gratitude for Martin’s intervention.
“When I asked him if he somehow knew of me before the accident, he said ‘no’. He is a hero to me; we need more people like him in the world,” she further commented.
The teacher continued: “When my daughter was bathing in blood and I called out for help, other taxi drivers passed us by. People were passing and making videos. Everyone else was busy spectating.
“However, Martin saw that the need was urgent, and he said that he couldn’t have allowed a child to remain in that position. God has really blessed his heart. He was never puffed up while he displayed godly love. He did not complain and he didn’t seem to get weary,” added the teacher, who brought the taxi-man’s good deed to the attention of The Beacon.
She also noted that, after the day of the accident, Martin contacted her to find out if she and her daughter were making progress medically.
By Horace Mills, Journalist
WE also do obituaries, advertisement, and special coverage of funerals, birthday parties, weddings, and other milestones. Call or WhatsApp us at 876-305-4574 or emaail us at jamaicabeaconnews@gmail.com.
