Homeless man rescues stranger’s car from snow and found out it was well worth it

By Charles Murphy September 25, 2019

A random act of kindness is heaping big rewards for a Kansas City man.

Tragically, people often barely acknowledge the homeless flooding the streets. For them, it’s easier to write those down on their luck off as a nuisance — or ignore them altogether — than to treat them as friends and neighbors. That’s a shame, considering many of them are capable of so much.

An Act of Kindness

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Human beings are incredible creatures, they have varied reactions in different situations; wisdom, emotions, sadness or any other form of emotion can easily be found in human beings. Empathy and kindness are also one of the emotions which humans often exhibit in different situations.

Snow, it’s one of our car’s most formidable enemies. These two have been at war ever since the internal combustion engine’s inception, and it doesn’t matter if you’re a star athlete driving to a Championship game or an out-of-luck man being forced to take shelter inside the only thing he’s got left, his car.

The Homeless Man

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This story of a homeless man coming to the rescue of a distressed motorist is a perfect example of how good deeds can be rewarded in the most unexpected ways.

Dave Cochran is a homeless man who lives out of his car with his dog and girlfriend in Kansas City, Missouri. The arrangement didn’t offer much comfort to begin with, but things got worse when someone smashed a couple of his windows. He had to tape trash bags over the gaps, which didn’t do much to keep the winter air at bay.

They had been driving through the ice and snow when they saw a few cars get stuck in the powder.

The Athlete

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Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive lineman Jeff Allen was getting ready for the team’s biggest game of the season on Saturday when a winter storm moving through the area impacted his pregame travel.

Over seven inches of snow fell on Kansas City, Missouri between 7am and the 1:35pm kickoff for the Chiefs versus Indianapolis Colts AFC divisional playoff game last Saturday.

One of those irritations of everyday life befell Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Jeff Allen as he set out in the snow Saturday for Arrowhead Stadium and the AFC divisional playoff game against Indianapolis.

Caught in a snowbank

Image courtesy of KCTV

While cold temperatures made for tough conditions on the field, it was a problem before the game as well. Chiefs offensive guard Jeff Allen got stuck in the snow on Highway 40 en route to Arrowhead Stadium and feared he might not make it to the locker room before kickoff.

With thousands of fans flocking to Arrowhead Stadium, Allen was going to need help to get there before kickoff.

A Homeless Stranger

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A Good Samaritan came to his rescue, he identified himself simply as Dave, and helped to get his car out. He asked for Dave’s phone number and was entering it into his phone when his mobile rang, and he lost the number.

Dave Cochran — a homeless Kansas City Chiefs fan — helped strangers along U.S. Highway 40 pull their cars out of the snow in the Missouri city on Saturday after several inches fell in the area, reported local CBS affiliate KCTV.

The NFL Football Club

Image courtesy of Kansas City Chiefs

The snow might have stopped Allen, but it could not halt the Chiefs’ offense on Saturday, as Kansas City beat the Indianapolis Colts 31-13 at Arrowhead Stadium.

Patrick Mahomes completed 27 of his 41 attempted passes for 278 passing yards and added a rushing touchdown as the Chiefs won a first playoff game at home since 1993.

That year was also the last time Kansas City made it to the AFC Championship Game, before losing 30-13 in Buffalo against the Bills.

The AFC Championship Game

Image courtesy of The Kansas City Star

The Patriots now stand between the Chiefs and a first Super Bowl appearance since the NFL-AFL merger. During its spell in the AFL, Kansas City reached the Super Bowl twice in four years, losing Super Bowl I to the Green Bay Packers in 1966 and then beating the Vikings in Super Bowl IV in 1969.

The Mystery Man

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Cochran’s act of kindness did not go unnoticed.

After the Chiefs victory over the Colts, Allen was eager to track down the mystery man so he could offer him tickets to the AFC Championship game in Kansas City.

Some Chiefs’ fans were calling Dave an angel in disguise, sent to help offensive lineman make it to the game and bring home a victory for Kansas City. But Allen believed Dave to be a real person, down on his luck, who didn’t think twice about helping a stranger. And he took to Twitter to find him.

Allen explained the situation on Twitter, asking for help in tracking down the good Samaritan.

“My car got stuck in the snow before the game & a nice guy named Dave help pull me out without knowing I was a player,” he tweeted. “I want to give him tickets to the AFC championship game for helping but don’t have a way to contact him. He drove a 97 or 98 Black Suburban. Pls RT #ChiefsKingdom”

The Snow Savior Tracked Down

Image courtesy of KCTV

The Chicago native asked his 21,000-plus followers to help him track down Dave so he could reward him with tickets.

To nobody’s surprise, Twitter supplied plenty of volunteers looking to cash in on Allen’s offer of AFC championship game tickets.

His plea drew a tremendous amount of attention, including the usual jokes. But it finally paid off and Allen found Dave.

A few hours later, Allen confirmed he had tracked down the man and rewarded his act of kindness with tickets for the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots on Sunday.

Who is Dave

Image courtesy of KCTV

Just who is Dave? Steven Dial, a reporter for Kansas City’s KSHB-TV, tweeted that he’s a homeless man who lives in his vehicle.

His full name, KCTV revealed, is Dave Cochran and sprang forward to assist Allen and other drivers stuck on Highway 40.

“I was driving down (U.S.) 40 highway and saw a couple cars stuck,” Cochran was quoted as saying.

“I rolled down my window and I asked them if they needed help,” he said. “They said, ‘Yeah! We’re trying to get to the game.’” “I pulled one car out before that then I saw another car stuck and I told my old lady, ‘We have to help him.'”

The Good Samaritan

Image courtesy of KCTV

Without any hesitation, Cochran — who lives out of his truck — towed Allen’s car out of the snow and up a hill, with the athlete successfully making it to the game, according to KCTV.

“That’s a natural habit for me is to help people. I don’t expect anything in return. All I was expecting was a thank you.” “He wasn’t used to this weather. He isn’t used to this coldness,” Cochran recalled.

Cochran helped free at least five autos and asked for nothing in return, not even from the guy behind the wheel of a flashy new car.

The Endangered Driver

Image courtasy of kshb

What Cochran didn’t know was that one of the trapped travelers he aided that day was actually Chiefs player, Jeff Allen, who got stuck in the snow on his way to the Chiefs game against the Indianapolis Colts.

“After I got done helping him, he told me he’s a Chiefs player,” Cochran recounted. “I didn’t look at him as no Chiefs player. I just looked at him as a normal person. You know, and I’d hope that he would do the same for me as I did for him.”

Dave’ is getting something priceless

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Cochran had no idea whom he had helped until his phone began buzzing. “I started bawling out of happiness and excitement,” he said. “He gave me three free tickets to the championship game Sunday. I wasn’t expecting all this.”

Cochran is overwhelmed by the attention but said he didn’t help for any other reason than he felt it was the right thing to do.

Dave said the reward meant a lot to him — he’s a lifelong Chiefs fan but has never been to any of Chiefs’ game.

“God bless him,” Dave said. “I’ve never been to a football game in my life.”

A Search on Social Media

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Through the power of social media, the message got to Dave, who didn’t even have his own Twitter account at the time. Cochran made a Twitter account so that he could respond to Allen.

 “I saw that message and people called me,” Cochran told KCTV. “I started bawling out of happiness and excitement.”

“So, I set up a Twitter account and I put a video on there,” Dave said. In the video, he told Allen he was the man who helped him, and he hoped to see him sometime soon — under better circumstances.

The internet provides

Image courtesy of Twitter – @JeffAllen71

Now reunited with the real Dave — whose last name is Cochran — Allen updated his fans that he rewarded the guy who helped him.

“Despite the recent influx in people changing their name to Dave in the KC area lol, I was actually able to track down the Dave that helped me thanks to the power of social media and #ChiefsKindgom. Thanks for your kindness,” Allen tweeted.

The Struggling Man

Image courtesy of KCTV

Cochran has a complicated past, filled with legal run-ins and personal trauma, according to the Kansas City Star. He lived in his old Chevrolet. The arrangement didn’t offer much comfort to begin with, but things got worse when someone smashed a couple of his windows. He had to tape trash bags over the gaps, which didn’t do much to keep the winter air at bay.

“I was in prison from 2008 to 2015 with a six month break in between,” Cochran told the outlet. “People gave me chances. People didn’t give up on me.”

Cochran may have hit a rough patch (“That is my home; my home is my truck,” he said), but it hasn’t made him bitter, as he proved Saturday with the small act of kindness.

The community’s support

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And now, even more people are rooting for Cochran to succeed and turn his life around. People in Kansas City and beyond have been stepping up to help the homeless man who came to the aid of Chiefs offensive lineman Jeff Allen.

Justin Manford, a stranger to Cochran, started a GoFundMe account to raise money in hopes that it’ll “give Dave the leg-up to get on the path that he wants.” The fund has already raised over $14,000 — well over the $10,000 goal.

It’s Like a Dream Come True

Image courtesy of KC Glass Guys

According to KSHB in Kansas City, businesses are also reaching out to help Cochran in any way that they can, including a local repair shop, the KC Glass Guys.

“If anyone knows how we can reach Dave … we would love to replace his glass. We have two at our shop we would install for free to help keep him warm,” the shop wrote on their Facebook page.

On Monday, the repair shop replaced not two, but three missing windows from Dave’s truck for free, the KC Glass Guys told CBS News.

Another gave Cochran and his fiancé some clothes for the cold weather.

“We’ve got a lot of caring, good-hearted people in Kansas City,” Cochran told the Kansas City Star. “I want to use this to build myself up. I want to give back.”

The Thrill of Attending Such a Big Event

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Now, Cochran is heading for the championship game to see if Allen and the Chiefs will beat the New England Patriots and make it to the Super Bowl.

On the 20th of January, Jeff Allen invited Cochran and his fiancé to the AFC Championship Game which took place in Arrowhead stadium

The thrill of attending such a big event, where nobody was looking at Dave with pity or fear, was electrifying! Though, very sadly, the Patriots squeaked past the Chiefs in overtime.

Nevertheless, Dave saw that evening as a total victory. It helped him really believe that he could turn his life around and reconnect with the world that left him behind. And thanks to Jeff’s social media activity.

There are small acts of kindness happening all around the world every day, but it’s always wonderful to see them recognized and rewarded. May God bless Dave and his #1 fan, Jeff Allen.

Deadly Snowstorm

The winter storm was responsible for four deaths in Missouri and dumped over 20 inches of snow in some parts of the state. Most of Kansas City area received around 5-8 inches, with some areas receiving more than a foot.

January is the time in which kindness is quite important as it’s the time of the year when most part of the earth wear a snow clothing. Movement becomes hard for people living in cold parts of the earth and often teamwork is required for making the daily life easier.