RICHMOND, Va. -- When the Facebook page Love What Mattersrecently re-shared the story of Jason Rowan with On Time Towingin Richmond, it touched tens of thousands of people. Jason, the post read, stopped to help a quadriplegic man whose front tire fell off his modified van.
"Apparently someone attempted to steal the tire in the middle of the night, but because it is a modified van, could not get the tire off with a regular jack. This kind of incident is annoying for able-bodied people. But when you are paralyzed and in a wheelchair, and you lose the use of your modified vehicle, it becomes extremely problematic!" the post, written by the van driver's mother detailed. "After much calling, we finally found a towing company that could come right away with a flatbed tow truck to take the van to the shop. Jason from 'On Time Towing' in Richmond, VA went above and beyond to help my son out. He had to rig a system to get the van just enough on the bed of the tow truck to get a jack underneath to remove the damaged tire. These modified vans have lowered floors and it took some time to even do that."
"Once Jason saw the hub assembly was not damaged, he offered to put on the spare tire for my son so it did not have to be towed. It was a very hot and humid day today as well! Jason truly was a life saver for my son!"
To honor Jason and his kindness, CBS 6 reporter Brendan King set up an interview with the tow truck driver to share his story.
"I would make more money if I would have put [the van] on the truck," Rowan explained. "He needed help and the tire can go back on. I just got a lug off each of the other wheels and put it back together for him so he could get to his appointment."
Jason said he knew he had to help because the van was the driver's only mode of transportation.
"That's my job. If I see somebody I stop to help, regardless of what you do, stop and make sure they're okay," he said.
It was then Brendan told Jason he wasn't there to do a news story, rather he wanted to honor Jason Rowan's good deeds as part of the CBS 6 Gives program. He gave Jason gift cards as a way of saying thank you.
"Thank you. I don't know what to say. This is very appreciated," Rowan said. "It's just if you see somebody in distress, you got to help them."
