A Massachusetts woman is calling Lt. Gov. Tim Murray a hero for helping her two grandchildren to safety after the minivan in which they were riding caught fire.
Murray was driving Tuesday evening in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he lives, according to a statement from the governor’s office.
“[He] noticed a parked minivan with a tire on fire. The Lt. Governor pulled over, dialed 911, and as he was doing so, heard a nearby individual scream that there were children in the vehicle,” according to the statement. “The Lt. Governor approached the vehicle and helped the children get out safely to their grandmother, who was nearby.”
Firefighters extinguished the fire.
“The Lt. Governor is happy that everyone is safe,” the statement said.
The only way to top that is something involving puppies.
Cat Lady
For those of you reading that story from parts elsewhere, Worcester is pronounced Wistah. Everything west of there is westa Wistah.
Ash Can
What a delight to hear an upbeat story about a pol, for a change.
The Grand Panjandrum
Minnesota’s new governor Mark Dayton could give him a run for his money.
J.
Great story, but it’s a sad commentary on the times we live in where basic human decency is a big story.
@John Cole, of course you realize this means the Patriots are going to win the Super Bowl now.
beltane
This is so much better than a naked guy in a truck. Will Tim Murray be running for that senate seat next year?
dmsilev
@Cat Lady:
As a native Bostonian, I have to take issue with your second sentence. Everyone knows that the civilized world ends at Route 128 (Maybe 495, if you’re being generous). Further west than that, all that’s listed on the maps is “Here be dragons”.
dms
Bobby Thomson
Where did he find a pail of water that quickly?
And OT, but when the hell did the Weather Channel start doing political news spots? What’s next, music videos?
liberal
Nah—Bush easily topped it by displaying his manhood in that flight suit and “piloting” that plane to a landing on that carrier. /snark
gnomedad
Just like a Democrat to create a moral hazard. How will those kids learn to help themselves?
MikeJ
Just like a liberal to interfere in the workings of the marketplace.
Buck
@beltane:
Erm…. I’ve gotta disagree with you on that one.
Peter J
@gnomedad:
Exactly.
There’s nothing that will faster teach you to pull yourself up by your bootstraps than when they are on fire.
Jeff Darcy
The cynic in me has two questions.
(1) WTF, Grandma? You got yourself out tout de suite, but left the grandkids in there? Bet they were happy about that.
(2) How did that tire come to be on fire anyway, and how much do you have to pay someone to light a match?
The rest of me is telling the cynic to STFU. In all likelihood this is a true case of Tim Murray simply being a decent and brave human being, and even if it’s not true it should be because it would do us all good to have a little more faith in our fellow man.
monkeyball
Chris Christie would have checked to make 100% sure it was a state road first.
Then he would have taken the exit to the airport to fly to Florida.
tom
Yeah, I guess. But the Democrat who ran in Wisconsin – can’t recall his name now, but he’s mayor of Milwaukee – got his ass beat with a tire iron (or something similar) after he came to the aid of a woman getting beat by her ex. So he’s a hero and all that. It didn’t help him much in the election. Not that that’s the main point… by all means, people should help each other out. Just don’t expect it to help at the polls.
Ash Can
@Jeff Darcy: According to the article, neither she nor the kids realized the van was on fire (the tire was on fire on the other side from where she had gotten out of the van), which complicated the rescue since she and the kids thought he was some criminal trying to break into the van. It must have been quite a scene.
dave
I reside in Massachusetts and I believe Murray has rescued people before. I forget what the circumstances were the first time. I like the guy and have nothing bad to say about him, except that he better not rescue anyone else or people are going to be very suspicious. This is starting to feel like it came straight out of the movie “The Contender”
JGabriel
John Cole:
Or the unemployed.
.
JGabriel
@Cat Lady:
(c) 1934 Lyrics by PG Wodehouse, Music by Kurt Weill.
.
mark f
He’s my former mayor and apparently this happened right in my neighborhood. Webster Square 4 Lyfe. Anyway, I don’t think he’ll be a candidate for senate next year; most observer types seem to think he’s got his eye on the governorship.
Woodrow "asim" Jarvis Hill
I went to Hampshire College in Mass, and learned of the…complex pronunciation rules around this fair city (*cough* *cough*). I think my response, when I was corrected upon my mis-pronunciation, was “saytheHellWHAT?”
And I’m from South Carolina.
JGabriel
J.:
That’s needlessly cynical. I can’t think of anytime in the past 200 years of American history when a politician displaying basic human decency wasn’t newsworthy.
.
mikefromArlington
Small children holding 3 legged puppies saved from a burning house.
mark f
Checking the article it appears it happened 3 houses away from mine. Where the hell was I?
David
It’s all in a day’s work for Lt. Governor Man.
Suck It Up!
I read about this yesterday except it was about how the grandmother nearly punched him in the face because she thought he was trying to kidnap her grandkids.
Omnes Omnibus
@tom: Tom Barrett.
Peter J
Benjamin Cisco
@JGabriel:
Or unemployed puppies.
Nick
But he’s a tax and spend liberal, so.
LanceThruster
I heard he gets his superpowers from drinking the blood of live puppies.
the fenian
We raise ’em tough and brave in my hometown, people.
Also, in re: the van — there’s a recall out now on WindStars of that vintage — I own one — regarding the tendency of the axles to deteriorate with age and wear. Could be one gave out and sparked the wheel-well fire.
“Wustah” is closer, BTW, and the town of Lestah is not far away.
SFAW
How so? You mean using puppies to put out the fire? You are one sick bastard.
Fixed
Hampshah’s about as close to Boston as Hackensack is, so I wouldn’t be using that for my street cred if I wuz you.
Now if only there were a bicycle for him to repair
Scarsdale? Manchester-by-the-Sea? ‘Cause you can’t mean Worchester. Any burg that has a tech college known as “Whoopie” can’t be too tough.
twiffer
@the fenian: i’d have gone with “woostah”, myself.
i blame the british.
SFAW
I always thought Jeeves was more interesting. But on the other hand, Bertie became a Doctah with his own TV show, so …
Oops. Never mind.
Karbuncle
@Cat Lady: wicked pissa.
JMC in the ATL
@SFAW: There’s no “h” in Worcester. Same as Gloucester.
SFAW
Actually, there is an “h” in Worcester, but it’s spoken, not written.
I suppose you’ll next be telling me there’s no “h” in Bahston.
Phoebe
@mikefromArlington: three legged puppy drags unconscious children to safety. Except shit like that happens so often it’s barely a story.