Family problems can escalate and sometimes even bring the police when people get into altercations. Some have been known to jump in a car and just drive to let off steam. One day Sergeant Todd Durnilwith the Indiana State Police, pulls over a speeding pick-up truck. His blue lights flashing on the congested Indiana highway. Durnil approached the driver’s window to find a wrung-out man by the name of Rodney Gibson.
The man was obviously angry, but it was clear that Durnil’s “pinch” is not the problem. Durnil assessed the situation quickly,noting that Gibson didn’t seem to recognize what is going on. Durnil explained to the Evansville Courier & Press, “He kept interrupting me. I couldn’t even tell him why I pulled him over.”
The sergeant was dealing with a highly stressed out individual who was extremely disconnected. He peered through the driver’s window and assessed both the driver’s condition and the car’s interior. Durnil f a guardian angel pin hanging from the sun visor. Looking for common ground, which he pointed out in order to connect with Gibson. The little guardian angel was a daughter’s gift, Gibson said. She was a breast cancer survivor, but things were not looking good now.
Gibson was in tears as he told Durnil his story, pondering the situation as he moved back to his patrol car. When he returned to Gibson’s pick-up truck he was thinking: “This man already has enough, I’m not going to write him … a ticket or even a warning.” So Duril came back to Gibson attempting to explain that would issue no ticket. Gibson, still up tight, apologized, explaining that he’s not usually so “very upset”. The sergeant asked him if there is anything he can do before he left. The State Policeman gets a request that is unusual these days, to say the least.
Here’s how Durnil explains it to the Evansville Courier & Press: “Do you know how to pray? I almost fell [by] the truck because here I was thinking about how this man needs prayers and then he is asking for prayers.” The officer kneels, took off his hat, and held Gibson’s hand as traffic rushed by. The sergeant and this troubled Gibson took the time to pray together about a girl, her cancer, and the burden a father carries for a loved one in distress.
