Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Instead of being a day I would like to forget as soon as possible, somehow, today became a day where I experienced the most incredible gesture of compassion that I’m pretty sure I’m going to want to remember for a long time...

I live in London and I was on my way to visit my cousins in Wales. I was driving on the motorway at around 70 mph when somehow (probably black ice on the road), I lost control of my car. I was involved in a scary collision with a delivery lorry and then a smaller car. The smaller car had a family in it with three young children.   Through some incredible good luck no one was hurt but the experience was very frightening.

There was so much smoke that my first thought was to just get out of my car as fast as I could. I could hear the children from the car behind me screaming and crying as I was trying to claw my way out of my car.  When I got out, I could see their mum was frantically trying to comfort her shaking crying children and move them away from the smoking cars at the same time. I kept thinking ‘oh my god, these children are so young’ and I felt so shocked that I had collided with them.

I thought that it would be natural that the parents would be shocked and probably be so angry and upset at me. But instead of being angry the mum simply said to me ‘Come here. You need to join in our hug’. 

Really? It was such a wonderful, warm gesture from someone whose family had just been hit by me! I can’t tell you how moved I was by that. And how much better I felt afterwards.

Whilst this was happening, the father was trying to get the children’s coats out of the back of his car because it was freezing. He didn’t see what had happened but when he came back, he asked me if I was okay and then gave me a hug too! I couldn’t believe it! I could see that he was completely shocked and dazed and yet he still managed this wonderful and warm gesture. I remember thinking how lucky those children were to be bought up by such amazing parents who would comfort a stranger in the middle of their own fear and panic - and they were very shaken up! To find compassion in a moment like that is truly incredible. Later, I overheard them telling their children that the important thing to focus on was that they were all okay and unhurt and then they had a big family group hug... wow!

[This was in stark contrast to the lorry driver who was very angry.  His lorry hadn't sustained too much damage (being much bigger than my car) and wasn't his own vehicle.]

The story doesn’t stop there... during the medical examination and the police statements, etc. I was split up from the family and then didn’t see them again. However, a few hours later, after I had reached my cousin’s home, the father rang me to see if I had got home okay and to make sure I hadn’t sustained any serious injury. He also said that he wanted me to know that he and his wife don’t bear any ill will towards me. I was really blown away that above everything else... Truely remarkable.

I've spent enough time on this site to know that incredible people do exist, but to actually experience it first hand, especially during such a frightening moment, was just so incredible.

Inspired by this story that I read recently, I’ve decided to send the children Christmas gifts anonymously :)