Texas couple take in stranded delivery driver for five days during storm after her SUV crashed into their flower bed while she delivered them groceries for Valentine's Day dinner
An Austin couple took in a Houston delivery woman for five days after her SUV got stuck in a flowerbed outside of their home in the midst of the winter storm that has devastated Texas.
Chelsea Timmons had been making the last of her deliveries in her Toyota Rav4 as the snow picked up, but believed she had enough time to still make the three hour journey home.
But as she brought Valentines Day groceries to Doug Condon and Nina Richardson, her vehicle lost grip on the icy road in the hilly neighborhood and she ended up crashing into their flower bed.
The couple immediately rushed out to check on Timmons, and welcomed her into their home until a tow truck had the chance to make it to them.
But as the weather closed in, it would be another five days before she was able to head home.
'I'm just extremely fortunate that this is where my car crashed,' Timmons, a 32-year-old mother, said to CNN. 'It was in their flower bed. It wasn't in a ditch. It wasn't on the side of the road ... I was stuck someplace safe and warm.'
The disastrous winter storm has been blamed for more than 30 human deaths in Texas and 58 across the country. It has also destroyed the state's power system.
Austin homeowners Doug Condon and Nina Richardson invited Chelsea Timmons into their home after her Toyota Rav4 got stuck in their flower bed Sunday
The hilly neighborhood made for difficult terrain for the 32-year-old mother to drive in as she tried to get the couple's a day late Valentine's Day groceries
'I was going down very slowly, remembering to tap my brake,' Timmons explained. 'I tapped more aggressively and it just still kept sliding. My heart just dropped as I just slid right towards their house and I just closed my eyes and just prayed that I did not hit these people's home, that I did not damage my car. I just knew — definitely knew — if I hit their home, that was my tip.'
Both Richardson and Condon had recently received their first COVID-19 vaccine shot, and it seemed unreasonable to them for Timmons to stay out in the cold
Timmons alerted the couple and was soon invited inside their home but immediately felt awkward given the different qualms surrounding the pandemic and social distancing.
'They invited me inside and of course, at that point, I was just feeling very awkward coming into a stranger's home. But they were super kind,' she said. 'When they invited me in, I sat with my mask in their kitchen for about two hours.'
Hours later and the trio would learn that AAA wasn't going to be able to make the trip out to the couple's home.
'As soon as we found out that AAA couldn't come and the conditions were getting worse, it seemed silly to even imagine that she would go to a hotel,' Richardson shared. 'It didn't even occur to us.'
Both Richardson and Condon had recently received their first COVID-19 vaccine shot, and it just seemed unreasonable to them for Timmons to stay out in the cold.
Valentine's Day dinner soon became dinner for three and to Timmons delight, she soon would be enjoying a meal of steak with blue cheese, broccoli and a salad.
'That was definitely not how I expected my Valentine's Day to go,' Timmons. 'We had a great dinner and I sat, I was warm, I was fed and it was just amazing and I thought it was just going to be for one night, but here I am, day five.'
Timmons got along swimmingly with the pair and their dog's, Crosby and Haddie, who soon took to snuggling up to her
Throughout the course of her stay with the couple, Timmons and Condon tried to shovel parts of the driveway in a bid to free the car.
'We were using a broom and a spade to be able to clear the driveway as best we could,' Condon said. 'We thought we had it cleared enough for her to be able to get up. She got up about halfway and got stuck.'
Timmons was met with rejection when she suggested getting a hotel room to get out of the couple's hair.
'Our guest bedroom is better than the Hampton Inn,' Timmons recalled them telling her. 'If you leave, what are you going to eat? Are you sure you can make it there all the way?'
Condon added: 'We've had kind of an exciting week with crazy weather and a surprise guest, which turned out to be quite an enjoyable experience.'
An exceptional baker, Timmons made a coconut cake for the couple as a form of thanks
Timmons got along swimmingly with the pair and their dog's, Crosby and Haddie, who soon took to snuggling up to her.
'She just became kind of part of the family pretty quickly,' Richardson said.
An exceptional baker, Timmons made a coconut cake for the couple as a form of thanks.
'We were definitely the beneficiaries of her baking,' Condon said.
The weather would eventually let up on Friday, making it suitable for Timmons to make her way home.
'We were definitely the beneficiaries of her baking,' Condon said. Pictured is the cake Timmons made
'I am so grateful that they were not only able but willing to let a complete stranger into their home in the midst of a pandemic, in the midst of a storm ... with no hesitation,' Timmons said. 'They just opened their doors, opened their home and said, "Come in and relax."'
'I'm just so grateful for them and so glad that this is where I ended up out of all the driveways in the world.'
Condon and Richardson hope that their story and new found friend can inspire others to lend out a helping hand to strangers during trying times.
'We would hope that if our daughters were in a situation similar to Chelsea, that there would be someone that would treat them like we treated Chelsea,' Condon said. 'I don't think we ever thought twice about it.'
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