LUBBOCK, Texas – A Lubbock mom was feeling grateful after she said a Department of Public Safety Trooper went the extra mile to make sure her family was safe.
Megan Ross was driving southbound on Interstate 27 Sunday when she said her car broke down, leaving her and her four kids stranded on the side of the road.
“You don’t want to really be on the road with your car broke down [while] with your kids, that’s just horrific, especially on the side of the highway,” said Ross.
After waiting for over 30 minutes for help, Ross said a DPS trooper pulled up behind them, flashing their red and blue lights, scaring her children.
“They were a little scared. Like I said, we’ve had experiences with officers where they didn’t handle their job like they should have, and to be honest with you, they were a little bit worried. They thought maybe she would come home and harass us,” said Ross.
DPS Trooper, Fatima Flores, pulled over to help the frightened family, checking to make sure there were no medical emergencies, “I came across a very stressed-out mother with four kids that were unfortunately stressed out as well,” said Flores.
Flores immediately jumped into action, going the extra lengths to make sure the family was safe, “Some were hungry, some were tired, cranky. I said, ‘Let’s help mommy out. Let’s get your sisters calmed down,’ and I handed them junior trooper stickers. I was going to help them get to safety.”
Ross said Flores took care of her children as if they were her own.
“There were six officers that passed us up before she even got there. I mean, sitting there watching me and four kids on the side of the road. She checked on the kids, and that was the biggest thing for me. She made my baby stop crying, she assured her that they were going to be okay, not to cry. She really comforted us in a time where we were like, ‘Oh, my gosh, it’s a cop,’” said Ross.
Flores helped transport the family to a safer location off of the interstate and to a nearby McDonald’s, a place the children requested after feeling hungry.
“Being a mom myself… it’s easy to give into stress, and seeing that the mother looked completely overwhelmed, I wanted to help relieve that stress by simply ensuring that the kids… were safe and we were going to get them off the road. We’re not just out here to give people tickets and arrest people, we’re here to help,” said Flores.
“Genuinely, she changed my heart, and if we had more officers like Officer Flores in our community, maybe our community would be a lot better place,” said Ross.
