Uber Driver Helps Teen Passenger Who Was Stranded on I-95, Rents Her Hotel Room to Sleep In

Maria Pasquini
·2 min read
1

An Uber driver went the extra mile for a young passenger when the pair were stranded for hours on I-95 in Virginia due to winter weather.

Davante Williams, who is from Washington, D.C., said he picked up the teenage passenger on Tuesday after her train back home was canceled, according to NewsNation Now.

"My passenger, she was so distraught," Williams said during an interview with the outlet. "Apparently, I picked her up from Union Station, and her train was canceled due to derailment. So she only could call for Uber, and I was her driver."

I-95 traffic
I-95 traffic

Chip Somodevilla/Getty I-95 traffic

When it was clear that the teen's trip had hit yet another snag due to the massive delay in Virginia, Williams said he called her parents to let them know their daughter was in good hands.

"I had to explain to her parents that, 'Hey, I'm not any one crazy. I'm just trying to get your daughter somewhere safe,' " he recalled.

Although they ended up being stuck on I-95 for five hours, fortunately, Williams had a few things on hand to keep the girl comfortable.

"I, because I'm a wonderful Uber driver, I always carry water or some type of juice and I have crackers and stuff like that," Williams said during his interview. "I had little stuff to get us over."

RELATED: Uber Refunds Passenger's $600 Bill After He and His Driver Are Stranded for 9 Hours on I-95

Once they finally made it off the highway, Williams rented a hotel room for the passenger to rest in for the night.

"I wanted to make sure she was comfortable. And I didn't want to leave her stranded," he told NewsNation Now.

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After the teen reunited with her family, Williams said both she and her parents reached out to show their gratitude.

"She actually texted me and just thanked me … for everything that I had done for her that night," he said.

RELATED: Mom and 2 Kids Spent Night in Ambulance After 'Begging' for Help While Stranded on I-95 in 'Freezing' Car

Williams also earned himself a shout-out from Uber, with the company praising the driver for his actions that night.

"Not all heroes wear capes thank you, Davante!" Uber wrote on Twitter.

His story even caught the attention of Alto, a startup that recently launched in D.C — and the company ended up offering the driver a job.

"Our newest member of Alto DC Operations. Welcome to the team, Davante!" the company wrote on Twitter Wednesday.

CEO Will Coleman added that they hired him that day "to help lead our DC operation and bring better rideshare to the city!"