Not on the way to work but helped a family that was broken down last night. We were on our way home from the restaurant when I noticed a car broken down on the roadside and three people staring under the hood. I could tell from a glance they weren't from around here and that they had no idea what they were looking at, so I turned around and asked them what the problem was. The young girl was the driver and the only one that spoke English. After probing her with questions it was obvious that she filled her car with diesel at the station a few Kms from where the car died.
![Tongue :P](https://www.autos.ca/forum/Smileys/CarTalk/tongue.gif)
She broke down a few feet from a nice wide driveway, so I went in to ask the owner if they minded if the car was left there overnight until she could have it towed to the mechanic that she has used in the past and the owner agreed. She didn't even know how to put the car in neutral in order to push it so the home owner jumped in and maneuvered it while the rest of us pushed.
She asked how much the repair would be and I said it definitely would not be cheap but I have no idea. She then called a friend to pick her up but was not available so said she would call a cab instead. I offered to drive them home and they were actually quite stunned with the offer but accepted. It was only a few Kms away so no big deal. Turns out she is a med-student at our local University.
This is the second time I have helped a med-student with their car breakdowns. Last time was a guy in a parking lot that was struggling to get a spare tire on his Volvo wagon. We pulled in to take our dog for a walk and I noticed him with the flat and reading through the manual trying to figure out how to work the jack that was sitting beside him. When we came back from our walk he was still there with the car in the air trying to loosen the lug nuts while wrenching it clockwise. It was obvious he didn't have a clue. I went over and told him to lower the car and wrench it ccw to loosen the nuts and walked him through the rest of the steps. I wasn't going to do it for him as he was a lot younger than me, and well, life lesson.
I found out he was an intern when I ran into him a few weeks later at our local hospital and he was wearing his smock. We talked for a bit and he thanked me again for the help. I didn't ask his field of specialty but I hope it doesn't require mechanical aptitude.
![Grin ;D](https://www.autos.ca/forum/Smileys/CarTalk/grin.gif)