CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- The contracted FedEx driver who was praised for stopping to help an injured boy who fell off of his bike is being recognized by the company.
WTVR CBS 6 Reporter Laura French said news of FedEx driver Ronnie Taylor's good deed made it to the desk of the FedEx President and CEO.
“When I read the article about you helping the boy who fell off his bike, I felt so proud," FedEx Custom Critical President and CEO Virginia Addicott wrote. “Hats off to you. Thanks for being a great FedEx ambassador on the road each day.”
Photo goes viral: 'The news lady shared you!'
Midlothian resident Regina Gallagher told French earlier this month that she creeped up slowly when she pulled into her Woodlake subdivision. That is because she saw a FedEx truck on the side of the road with the door wide open and a child injured next to his bike.
“I watched in slow motion just watching him meticulously and compassionately help a child who was bleeding,” she said.
“I watched in slow motion just watching him meticulously and compassionately help a child who was bleeding,” Regina Gallagher said.
Gallagher didn’t know who the FedEx man was but she was so impressed how he handled the situation she snapped a few pictures and posted it to her Facebook page.
I pull onto my street to get to my driveway and the road was kinda blocked by a FedEx truck. I slowly pull up to see a young boy had fallen off his bike and was cut and bleeding and crying and this FedEx man was bandaging him. He had bandaids and neosporin and all sorts of first aid and most importantly he had compassion and kindness as I listened to him talk to the boy and offer to call his mom, get his bike home etc...I offered to help as well but he had it all taken care of. As I pulled in the driveway it made me think of Ellen DeGeneres one million acts of kindness and thought “there ya go!!!” I snapped a pic (blurred the child’s face bc I don’t know him) bc this is what is worth sharing on FaceBook....life and people regardless to age, race, religion, political party, etc at their best!!! Wish I had the guys name bc FedEx should know they hired a good one!!! Have a blessed day!!! Be Kind!!! 2764.png❤ #FedEx #Ellensmillionactsofkindness #intregrityandcharacteratitsbest
French shared the post in hopes of locating the mystery good Samaritan and within 24 hours it was shared hundreds of times and viewed by more than 20,000 people.
“Once I got to work my manager was like, 'Hey, did you know the news lady shared you on her Facebook page?'” said FedEx driver Ronnie Taylor. “I’m like, 'What?'”
“I instantly called my girlfriend and was like 'Hey, the news lady Laura French shared me on her Facebook page,'" he added. "Oh my goodness. This is crazy."
“After I helped him out, I just went out about my day. I didn’t tell anyone that I helped someone that fell,” said Taylor. “I didn’t know anyone was watching or taking pictures. I didn’t expect it to happen like this. It was just a normal act of me trying to help someone. I seen him in need and just wanted to make sure he was OK.”
French connected Taylor and Gallagher.
Taylor and Gallagher.
“As a mom, it made me proud watching you,” Gallagher told Taylor. “It was just an act of kindness. I thought, wow this is nice to see. You were just being you.”
“He wasn’t looking for recognition, he wasn’t looking for anything he didn’t even know I was looking,” explained Gallagher.
“I appreciate you putting that out there and allowing other people see who I am,” Taylor thanked Gallagher.
Taylor is employed by Legacy Transports, Inc., a FedEx contractor. He is also the father of a four-month-old daughter.
“If my daughter was somewhere away from home and she had fallen off her bike, and needed stitches or something like that, and people were just riding past, it would hurt me to think people would do that,” said Taylor. “I would definitely want someone to do the same for my daughter and I definitely believe in good karma."
Taylor said he was finishing his route the morning of June 27, when he saw the unidentified boy lose control of his bike.
“His front wheel wobbled and him and the bike kind of flipped over. It was pretty sad,” said Taylor. “He instantly started bleeding, so I just grabbed everything I had and jumped out the truck.”
FedEx driver Ronnie Taylor
“I told him, 'Hey, give me your hand.' And [I] put some Neosporin on his hand. He didn’t say a word. I could see it in his face he was hurting. His pride was hurt, so just wanted to make him feel a little better by like, ‘You’re not that bad. Here just rub it up there,'" Taylor said "When I put the Neosporin on his finger I saw he was scared to touch his knee. I was like ‘Hey, it’s not going to burn.’ I grabbed his hand and rubbed it up there.”
“I said ‘Hey, you want to call home or help you get home? I could put your bike on my truck,'" Taylor asked. "He was just like, 'No.'"
“He was balled up when he was down [and] by the time I finished helping him, he was up and looking like he was himself again," Taylor said. "So that was pretty cool. As long as he wasn’t pouting when I left or acting like he was hurting.”
“It’s worth paying attention to people, and worth doing the right thing, and I hope it comes with benefits for him,” Gallagher said.
Taylor said his goal is to become a full-time FedEx employee.
