Reflecting on a Life-Saving Flat Tire

For Jeffrey Gurian of New York City, what began as an inconvenience turned out to be luck. Here he tells the story of when a AAA-approved mechanic discovered that a flat tire could have put far more than his weekend plans at risk.

It was the flat tire that saved my life, and I owe it all to AAA Northeast and an observant mechanic.

I was about to go away for a weekend with someone special. When the [parking] garage attendant brought my car around, it was making an unusual noise. He said it sounded like something was in my tire and that I was about to get a flat. I was reluctant to tell my date about it when I picked her up, because it felt like a negative way to start a weekend, so I called AAA to ask for help. They told me they could only help me if my car was actually stranded, but they were nice enough to refer me to a garage that was nearby and told me that the garage would help me. It was like a garage from heaven.

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AAA called them on my behalf and told them to expect me. They were waiting for me out in the street and guided me in. They put my car up on the lift and a nice mechanic told me he’d find the problem and have me back on the road in no time. A few minutes later, he called me over and showed me a screw and washer stuck in my tire. He said to me, ‘This was your problem. I’ll put a patch in the tire, and you’ll be fine and on your way.’

A few minutes later he called me over and looked upset. ‘I know you don’t know about cars, but do you see this rod? This rod controls your steering, and it was about to slip out. You would have lost control of your car on the highway and could have been killed. You’re so lucky you got the flat tire, cause the flat tire saved your life,’ the mechanic said.

I’ve kept that screw and washer for years as a reminder that I’m not the best judge of what happens in my life. Here I was cursing my luck for getting a flat tire when I was going away, and the flat tire turned out to save my life! A very important lesson.”

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