While driver’s license renewal rules vary by state, in Colorado, there’s no upper age limit and you can continue driving, even past the ripe old age of 70. That said, however, elderly drivers do need to renew their licence at 70, as there’s a mandatory renewal, and from there, every three years, elderly Colorado drivers need to renew their driving licence. An elderly man was involved in a car collision, and was stuck in his vehicle, but thankfully, a brave man at the scene — who many are branding a “hero” — helped to rescue the man from his car by breaking a window. The video is circulating online at the moment.
The footage opens on a busy main road in Colorado, and sees our hero, sporting a light blue t-shirt, dark blue jeans, and black trainers as he attempts to help an elderly man who has collided with the vehicle in front of him. For some reason, the elderly driver doesn’t seem to be able to exit his vehicle properly. Smoke from the collision is billowing around the crashed car in the air. “Open the door!” yells the quick-thinking bystander, but it appears as if the man inside the vehicle cannot hear him or understand him.
Holding a large black torch, the Colorado hero continues, “Open your door!” he shouts as he attempts to gesture to the man to open up, so he can safely exit. “Roll down your window!” he states, but it appears that his pleas are falling on deaf ears, as the elderly man inside the car is not following his advice. Due to the man’s lack of communication, our hero exclaims, “I’m gonna have to break this,” tapping on the driver’s window.
Briefly, we get a view of the damage from the collision, and it’s clear that the front wheels are still turning, which indicates that the driver likely still has his foot on the accelerator pedal. “He’s gonna catch his car on fire.” the man calmly says to the camera. In the heat of the moment, the man shatters the glass on the back window with the back of his large torch, and reaches in to open up the front door. He then proceeds to take the key out of the ignition, though the elderly driver just stares at him, and appears to be in a catatonic state.
“What’s going on? You’re gonna catch your car on fire. Hop out so you don’t catch on fire.” instructs the helpful hero. The cameraman then asks if the driver is okay, and he responds, “Yeah” as if nothing has happened. The pair also asks if he is on any medication, but he also simply replies with a “No“. After explaining to the driver what has happened to the car, he doesn’t get out of his vehicle but just nods his head. The driver appears to be very confused.
With the video making the rounds online, it’s sparked a discussion about senior drivers, and how the elderly man in the footage appears to be unsafe to drive, as he’s quite confused and unresponsive. One person on Reddit wrote, “I’m sorry but people than can’t even understand basic communication anymore shouldn’t be allowed to drive.” while another chipped in with, “He may have suffered a stroke or TIA right before this accident. I’ve witnessed four cases of strokes/TIAs first hand (they run in the family yay) and they were instantaneous: one second they were perfectly cognitive, talking normally, next second they were mute or babbling gibberish and very confused. They weren’t even that old, late sixties early seventies. They recovered to some extent, but later strokes killed them. Strokes suck.”
Meanwhile, over on TikTok, similar discussions got underway, with one penning, “🥺 he has no idea what’s going on this is sad” and another jokingly adding, “Imagine if someone at his age was the president of the USA 😂😂” A further commenter simply expressed, “no more driving for you buddy“.
Ultimately, the incident speaks to the power of everyday courage and quick decision-making in critical moments. When the Colorado bystander shattered the car window to save the elderly, confused man trapped inside, it shows how ordinary people can rise and step up in extraordinary circumstances.
