Fort Lewis College student Byrne Dobrient is becoming a regular hero among his college peers lately, as he continues to rescue his stranded friends from cold and snowy predicaments.

“He is the nicest guy,” said friend and fellow FLC student Emily Staley in a previous interview with The Durango Herald. “You can count on him if you need help.”

His latest big rescue was in retrieving his stranded roommate from Utah, whose Chevy Blazer had broken down outside of Moab. Instead of waiting for the tow truck, which was scheduled to take hours, the roommate called Dobrient, who obliged by driving out to Moab from Durango and picking him up.

“His old Blazer was misfiring,” Dobrient said, “and the tow truck was gonna come super late. So I went out and got him. I also got back in time to play in the adult Hockey (Recreational) League here, so I didn't miss my game.”

Dobrient humbly believes his friends and acquaintances keep calling him because of the truck he drives.

“I have a Toyota Tacoma,” he said. “It’s got four-wheel drive.”

Whether FLC students keep calling on Dobrient to come and save them from vehicle malfunctions and wintry peril because of his truck, or because he is a reliable and kind person, the end result is the knowledge that he will be there for them if they need him.

The Durango Herald first reported Dec. 14 about Dobrient’s good Samaritan-prowess for helping stranded friends when he got a call from Staley, who had gotten her Mini Cooper stuck off the side of the road in a snowstorm outside of Chama, New Mexico. Because of Colorado’s traction laws, Staley, along with two other female FLC students, had been forced to circumvent Wolf Creek Pass on the way back from Denver and drive southeast through Antonito to Chama. Staley’s vehicle became trapped in the heavy snow, and the first person she called was Dobrient.

“She called me at nine o’clock (at night) and told me she couldn’t get over here (to Durango),” Dobrient said. “I was just hanging out working on a paper, and I was the only one that they knew that had a bigger vehicle ... so I just got up and drove out there.”

Dobrient and the three women did not get back to the college until 2 a.m., but Dobrient viewed the night’s detour with a positive outlook.

“The excursion got me out of the house,” he said. “A little break from doing homework anyway. My mind was melting from writing that paper anyway.”

His positive attitude was also apparent when revealing that right after picking up his roommate from Moab and getting home in time to play a game of hockey, he was called by yet another friend who had gotten stuck in the snow on the FLC campus.

“That same day after the hockey game, I had a friend whose sister was in town, and her car got stuck up at the college,” he said. “They're like, ‘Do you have traction boards?’ I have a tow hitch, so I went over there and pulled them out. Super easy. Two rescue missions in one day is pretty funny.”

Dobrient is taking his newfound status as rescuer of stranded motorists in stride, and has no problem continuing with the role as long as people need his help.

“My dad's friend, who has a brand-new Bronco, is driving to Vail today, and he told my dad that he's going to call me if he gets stranded,” Dobrient said with a laugh. “What’s funny is that his Bronco is way better than mine. But I’m always here to help, and it’s fun to get to see your friends when you come and pick them up.”

molsen@durangoherald.com