Allegheny County police change mom's flat tire, drive daughter to airport so she doesn't miss flight
GREEN TREE, Pa. (KDKA) -- Car vs. pothole is a battle just about every Pittsburgher will wage in their lifetime.
But when you are racing to the airport to catch an important flight, that big thump is the last thing you want to hear and feel.
That's what happened to one local woman. When her tire pressure went down, police stepped up. And how it happened was a total coincidence.
Judy Horgan said she was driving her daughter Susan to Pittsburgh International Airport on 376 Wednesday when she heard a noise no driver wants to hear.
"I hit a huge pothole and shredded my tire," she said.
Of all days to pop a tire, this was among the worst. The vacation her daughter was taking involved a year of planning. One misstep and the entire trip would be ruined.
"It was like a domino effect. When you can't make your connection, and then you can't make your next connection, and her daughters were waiting for her for a reunion," Horgan said.
Feeling deflated with a flat tire, she and her daughter headed for the nearest exit, searching for a shopping center to park the car.
But fate had other plans.
A top a hill, Horgan saw a break in the clouds.
"Mr. Rogers always said look for the helpers. And there at the top of the hill were the police officers," she said.
It was the Allegheny County Police Department where indeed these travelers found their helpers.
With only 10 minutes to make the flight, Officer Bobbie Bertalan drove Susan to the airport while Detective Rob Donovan stayed behind to change the tire.
"We see the county police, I see them in county court, we see them in the parks, but they do good work all the time and I think they're unsung heroes," Horgan said.
Susan did end up making her flight just in the nick of time. Horgan says she and her daughter are both thankful not only that the officers were available to help but that they were willing to help.
