US Olympic Gold Medalist David Verburg Sprints Into Traffic To Save A Tortoise Crawling Across A Busy Highway
This isn’t the first tortoise he has saved
I wonder if a certain tortoise in Clermont, Florida knows just how lucky he is today.
The tortoise was slowly, I mean very, very slowly, making his way across the highway when David Verburg spotted him Sunday.
Verburg had to swerve to avoid him. He could’ve done like many other drivers in the area and just kept on.
But Verburg happens to have a soft spot in his heart for animals. Tortoises, in particular.
So, he pulled over and sprinted out into the middle of traffic to scoop him up.
Sprinted quicker than a rabbit. That part isn’t so surprising.
Verburg is a sprinter.
He won a Gold Medal for the US in the 4×400 relay at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
He shared video of his daring rescue on Facebook and Twitter.
I love how he also shares the release, getting his new friend to a safe spot.
His own play-by-play of the sprint is classic, as well. As he tells The Daily Mail:
‘I had to swerve to miss the tortoise myself. I said ‘damn it’s going to get crushed’. I went up about 30 meters and hit a U-Turn and parked my car in the turning lane.
‘As soon as I started running I slightly regretted it lol it was a big intersection and my shoes weren’t tied lol (I can show you the shoes) but I am really happy I was able to help the animal out of a stressful situation.
‘It was a big tortoise and was probably older than I was. Didn’t deserve to go out that way.’
Verburg adds that he has a habit of saving tortoises. He just happened to catch this rescue on camera.
If you enjoy this story, you might want to check out my recent TED Talk, “How To Watch The News And Get Inspired.”
