(JOHN MCDONALD / iNFOnews.ca)

'IT WAS EITHER GOING TO BE GOOD, OR IT WAS GOING TO BE LIKE A 5,000 POUND ANCHOR'

VERNON - Stopping to push a woman’s car one block down a busy roadway after it broke down in the middle of an intersection is all in a day’s work for Vernon RCMP officer Const. Greg Levorson.

He was in the right place at the right time earlier this week to help a lady out of a dangerous situation, and the kind gesture resonated with those who watched the scene unfold in the busy mid-day traffic rush on Highway 97 through Vernon.

Vernon resident Alexandra Talbot watched it happen and described almost being brought to tears as she watched the officer push the vehicle to safety. You can read her account of what happened here. 

Const. Greg Levorson says he was on his way back to the police station on Tuesday, Aug. 9, when he noticed a medium-sized, blue car stranded in the intersection of Highway 97 and 32 Avenue.

“She seemed to be stuck in a really bad spot,” Levorson says, noting traffic was heavy. “I circled the block, came up behind her vehicle and threw my lights on for safety.”

The woman’s engine had died completely and wouldn’t start. Knowing it could take a while for a tow truck to arrive, Levorson made a quick decision to try and push the vehicle up the road to a Chevron gas station about a block away.

“I looked up the block and thought ‘maybe I can push this thing.’ It was either going to be good, or it was going to be like a 5,000 pound anchor,” Levorson says.

As it turned out, he was able to get the car moving. Levorson admits it ‘took a little elbow grease.’

“It was a medium, steady effort, but we got the job done,” he says.

About two thirds of the way, a young, 20-something man ran up to give him a hand. With traffic flowing steadily along the highway, Levorson had to keep a close eye on his surroundings.

“I was looking over my shoulder repeatedly going up the lane,” Levorson says. “Luckily, no one came near us. They must have known what we were doing.”

They managed to push the car down the block and into a safe spot beside the gas station.

“It was mission accomplished you could say,” Levorson says.

He’s glad he drove by when he did, not just to relieve the certain anxiety of getting stuck in a busy intersection, but to prevent an accident.

“The position of where her car stopped was risky for sure. Other drivers don’t expect to see a vehicle stopped there. I would say it was certainly not a desirable spot at all,” Levorson says.

He never thought his spur-of-the-moment gesture would get so much attention and is humbled by the feedback.

“It was a nice, pleasant surprise,” he says.

It’s not uncommon for police officers to give people a hand when car troubles arise, he says, adding most of the time it’s people getting stuck in the snow in wintertime.

As happy as he was to help, he’s glad the workout isn’t part of his regular duty.

“I wouldn’t want to be pushing cars uphill as a regular occupation,” he says with a laugh.

- This story was changed on Aug. 14, 2016 to correct the date in the story to Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016. 

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