Charles Albert, 84, and his wife had barely begun their journey from Durango to Trinidad one Sunday morning in late November when the trailer he was towing behind his 3/4-ton Ram 2500 pickup began to fishtail. As he came down the hill on U.S. Highway 160 just before the intersection with County Road 225, the trailer, which contained a skid loader, began to whip violently from side to side.
“It forced the pickup over and into the guardrail,” Albert said. “And when we hit the guardrail, we made about one and a half loops right there in the middle of the road, the truck and the trailer both. It wound up hitting the guardrail on the other side and stopped there.”
When the truck came to a stop, Albert’s truck was facing the wrong way on the road, his truck and trailer were blocking both lanes, and the damage inflicted to his wheel by the swinging trailer prevented him from moving the vehicle.
It was not long after that Bucky Maestas of Bayfield was headed to work. He encountered the rig strewn across the road, as well as the mile of traffic backed up on either side, and realized he and his Ford F-350 could lend a hand.
He hooked Albert’s truck up his own and towed the vehicle and trailer, skid loader and all, up the hill and off the road. Albert said the story, although only a small instance of kindness, is exemplary of strength of community in the area that sometimes goes unappreciated.
“You don’t often hear stories about the nice people,” Albert said. “So I thought it would be nice to read a story about somebody that’s really a nice guy.”
Albert tried to offer Maestas money as a token of gratitude, but Maestas declined to accept.
“I was like, ‘I don’t want no money,’” he said. “I (told him) it’s the right thing to do.”
Maestas said acts of kindness feel important to him.
“You know, if we all slow down a little bit and do our first and foremost duty to one another, which is spread peace and make sure we’re there for each other and support, I think it will be a better world,” he said.
rschafir@durangoherald.com
