Being stranded on the side of the road is a sinking feeling that many of us are familiar with, and an unfortunate experience that one of our clients faced on a recent trip through the Drakensberg. 

Mr Adams*, aged 71, was travelling on a national road in Kwa-Zulu Natal with his wife and two grandchildren, when his vehicle struck a pothole. He was unsure of the extent of damage to the car and felt it would be prudent not to attempt the rest of the drive. 

At 17h20, he logged a call with RESQME, who were quick to respond by offering the aide of roadside assistance, as well as an armed response unit to provide security during the wait. Mr Adams declined the armed response service, believing that they would be safe enough on their own. 

Making tough decisions against our clients’ judgment

The RESQME agent couldn’t shake a feeling of concern for the elderly gentleman and his family, realising that it would soon be dark in the Drakensberg. She decided to send an armed response team anyway, and the unit was dispatched at 17h30. They arrived on the scene within 15 minutes, just as the sun was dipping below the horizon. 

After he’d changed his tyre, Mr Adams asked the armed response team to escort him to the nearest garage, but the damage to the vehicle prevented the party from travelling much further. The decision was made to dispatch roadside assistance at 18h40, but as this was an outlying area, the roadside assistance team only arrived at 21h10! 

Although exhausted from the inconvenience of the ordeal, Mr Adams communicated how grateful he was that his RESQME agent had ignored his instructions, and sent the security team anyway. It was only later that he realised just how vulnerable he and his family would have been, stranded for nearly four hours on a dark and remote road.

Sometimes we’ll make the call for you

At RESQME, our daily work revolves around keeping our clients safe from harm, 24/7. We mitigate threats to our clients and their families, wherever they are, and we help get them back to a place of safety as quickly as possible.

At RESQME team of highly trained officers are on call to provide fast support with home invasions, incidents occurring outside the home or at work, roadside incidents and events that require paramedic assistance. 

• Immediate, professional response to all emergencies
• National footprint operating from a secure location in Johannesburg
• Automated GPS location coordinates are received the moment a call for help is logged
• Full mandate to intercept criminal threats and arrest or detain suspects

Our dedicated RESQME team is invested in your safety. That’s why we’re willing to make tough calls when you’re under duress, even to the point of ‘ignoring’ your instructions. For your wellbeing, we’ll always choose to be safe, rather than sorry,