Helping others on the road is as easy as pushing a button
Sue Stanek is a self-described outdoorsy Wisconsin native who loves to travel with her Australian shepherd. She has had an active OnStar plan for two Chevrolet Equinox SUVs and now has one for her 2020 Colorado truck because the service gives her added confidence to get out there. “I travel alone so much with my dog, and I want to make sure someone is there in case I can’t get ahold of anybody,” she says.
While Sue relies on knowing OnStar will be there for her, in several instances, she has been there for complete strangers out on the road. Back in August 2019, for example, Sue was driving on the highway, returning from a hiking trip with her dog in northern Wisconsin, when the vehicle ahead of her hit a deer at high speed.
“I saw the deer fly, and they pulled off the road,” Sue recalls. “So, I pulled off behind them and contacted OnStar right away. I let them know about the crash because I could see that fluids were leaking from the front of the other vehicle.”
The occupants of the other vehicle were uninjured, but the crash with the deer had severely damaged their van. They soon approached Sue’s vehicle and were relieved to discover help was already on the way.
“It was apparent that I was the first person that reached out for assistance,” Sue recalls. “I told them I was in contact with OnStar, and they said, ‘Oh, thank you, you’re such an angel. Thanks for helping.’ And the OnStar Advisor stayed on the line with me right until a police officer showed up.”
That wasn’t the first time Sue had acted as a Good Samaritan. A few years earlier, she was driving to Milwaukee when she saw a car on fire on the side of the highway, so she pushed her red Emergency button.
The ability for OnStar Members to act as a Good Samaritan and help direct assistance to others also impressed Sue’s travel companion that day. “A friend was traveling with me when we saw the car on fire. She was like, ‘Wow, it’s kind of like your personal concierge service,’” Sue says.
All told, her experiences helping others in emergencies have made Sue glad to be an OnStar Member.
“OnStar’s been really good to me,” she says. “It’s helped me in various situations — though most of that [help] has been for other people.”
