RAOK: Falling Lady

I was walking east on Addison this morning heading towards the Red Line. An Addison bus was picking up a lady just across from Wrigley Field. She was older and frail looking and pushing one of those upright shopping cart things. The driver had lowered the wheel chair lift and I watched as she struggled to get the cart onto the lift.

This was just a bad, bad option. For a wheelchair rider the back folds up to prevent the chair from rolling and then the lift is raised so the chair can roll into the bus interior. But you are sitting with a low center of gravity.

I couldn't get there fast enough. When the driver began to raise the lift the old lady wobbled and proved she wasn't a Weeble. As she fell backwards her cart rolled backwards and pinned her foot to the back stop. Fortunately she fell just as the lift started to get raised and didn't fall far. I had her unpinned and laying flat on the sidewalk before the driver was out of her seat. The old lady was definitely stunned but seemed to be OK. I was able to get her to her feet and she was standing on her own.

As she was OK and I was already running late I left her in the care of the bus driver to get her on the bus.

I think my Random Act Of Kindness covers my good deed for the week.