A grocery delivery driver managed to save the life of a 90-year-old who broke his hip after she recognised his morse code SOS signal while on duty.
Asda home shopping driver, Sam Speechley, from north Wales, heard someone tapping out what sounded like SOS in Morse code on their car horn.
She went to investigate what was going on and found 90-year-old Keith Turner had slipped on his driveway and broke his hip.
READ MORE: Garda knocked out by crazed thug as he responded to row in Dublin city centre
The man had managed to drag himself to the car so he could sound the alarm but is now back home after spending three weeks in hospital.
Speaking about the inciden, Widower Keith, said: "Sam saved my life, she really did, and I can't thank her enough. I'd been laying there in the rain and cold for half an hour and if she hadn't come along when she did I don't think I'd have made it. She's a Godsend.
"I heard the Asda van pull up, so I managed to get to the car horn. I didn't want to press it continuously as people may have thought it was the car alarm going off so I pressed it intermittently so it probably sounded like SOS. I was so pleased to see Sam when she came over."
The retired panel beater went on to say: "Sam was lovely; we chatted for ages and she kept me distracted as I was in a lot of pain."
Sam, 45, has worked at the UK Asda store for two years, and recalled the afternoon of the incident, saying: "I was delivering some shopping to residents in the Garden City area when I pulled up outside a customer's house.
“When I got out of the van I heard someone toot a car horn. It kept going on and it was like a Morse code pattern. It just sounded like an SOS to me; something just didn't feel right.
"I walked down the road to the house in the corner and I saw a gentleman (Keith) lying in his driveway next to his car and he was half way in the car and tooting his horn.
“He'd left his house and walked over to his car and he'd slipped on the paving slabs on his driveway. He'd dragged himself across the drive to his car, opened the door and started to toot his horn for attention."
She then knocked on a neighbours' doors to get some help and called an ambulance.
Sam said: "At the time he'd suspected he'd broken his hip, as he couldn't move his legs. I asked if I could go into his house and made him a cup of tea, got him a blanket and some cushions. As it was pouring down and freezing his neighbour got two large umbrellas to put over him."
Sam also called the store to tell them what was going on and they sent another driver to pick up her deliveries so she could stay with Keith.
She said: "We just talked about his life; his late wife, railways and Land Rovers. All sorts of things really just to keep him occupied as he was in a lot of pain. I think he was pleased that I was there.
“He reminded me of my own grandfather and if it was a member of my family in that situation I would have hoped someone would have helped them."
Sam stayed with Keith for about an hour until his son Philip arrived. Later that day, Keith's daughter-in-law Emma got in touch to thank Sam personally and to say he'd been taken to hospital by ambulance and that his hip was indeed broken.
Emma said: "We can't thank Sam enough for what she did. She is amazing. We are so happy that she was there. She never left him at all, she reassured him and was so lovely, caring and kind. She really did go above her job role."
Home shopping manager Nicky Fitzgerald, who has nominated Sam for an Asda service superstar award, said the whole store was proud of Sam.
She said: "To recognise the sounding of the car horn as a sign of distress was just unbelievable. To look after the gentleman for all that time is Sam all over. She's just such a caring person. She went above and beyond for the gentleman that day.
“She even phoned the store so we could rearrange her deliveries so she could stay with the gentleman."
READ NEXT :
Missing Amy Fitzpatrick was paid to go on 'drugs runs' before disappearance
First woman to get Covid-19 vaccine in Ireland dies as tributes are paid
Exact dates social welfare payments will be made over Christmas 2022
Cash-strapped RTE spend over €80k launching their annual new season event
Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter
