UPS Driver Held At Gunpoint - Forced to drive to police station

[canam450]

Upstate im glad your son got back to his normal life and im sure that was hard to see, but in my case its totally different and happened in the UPS truck where i have to try to get back in..The guy didnt want to steal anything from me he was wanting to die and he had his gun pointed at me with his finger on the trigger for 8 miles around 20 minutes..i thought he was going to kill me sooner or later..The thing i dont understand is UPS is all about saftey and i havent slept good at all since this happened and i get flashbacks all throughout the day so why would i wanna jump back into the UPS truck and i see something that reminds me of the situation or just think of it for acouple seconds then all the sudden i hit a car or someone..Then i would get fired and its all my fault

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Did you enjoy the job prior to this incident?

 

[canam450]

its a job..how many people can say the actually like working

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

It may be time for you to move on.

 

[helenofcalifornia]

I think he should take some time off. What if he goes back to work, under performs because of the trauma and UPS starts writing him up? I am not advocating taking months off, but some time needed. Maybe you could get an inside job? I also agree with Upstate that maybe if you feel you can't or won't get over this, maybe another job is in order. It's too soon to be able to determine this though. Everyone deals with trauma/grief/death/etc. differently. I think if he came back too soon, Corvette would be way too jumpy and nervous to do anyone good. Good luck and lean on your friends and family. They can help more than anyone.

 

[stevetheupsguy]

Welcome to Brown Cafe, Corvette.

You obviously did everything right to come out of that situation unharmed. The dirtbag's dead, time to move on. Take your driving job back unless you know where you can make better money.

Good luck, hope that didn't sound insensitive.

Straight forward, yes, insensitive, nah.

First of all, I am glad that you are physically OK. I cannot imagine the emotional toll this has taken on you.

Now, this may sound a bit cold (it is not meant to) but I agree that the best thing for you at this point is to get back behind the wheel. I will explain by relaying a real life situation. My son had a friend commit suicide during the prom. The details are not important but I tell you this because it really affected David. He didn't want to do anything, talk to anybody or go anywhere, much less work. His mother and I let him work this out on his own. A week or so went by and he wanted to call in sick to work again and I told him that he needed to go to work. In fact, I told him I would be there in 10 minutes to pick him and bring him to work. I was trying to get some normalcy back in to his life and I thought work (Mickey D's) would get his mind off of what had happened. He was pissed at me but later thanked me as it did get his mind off of it and helped him to move on. Notice I didn't say forget--you never forget, but you do have to move on.

The only one who can make this decision for you is you but my advice is to get back behind the wheel.

Just one question. You said during the prom. Did you mean at the prom or while the prom was going on?

I agree with getting back in the saddle, but sometimes, some people need more time than others, though it's hard to say when too much time has elapsed.

I have to agree with Upstate on this one. You went through a traumatic experience that was of no fault of your own. But you have to move on. We had a driver that was held up delivering to an apartment (criminals are so stupid), but he was back at work the next day. The same thing happened to another driver in a Mall parking lot in the middle of the day, but he was back to work the next day. You just happened to come across an extreme nutcase, that shouldn't ever happen again.

+1

Upstate im glad your son got back to his normal life and im sure that was hard to see, but in my case its totally different and happened in the UPS truck where i have to try to get back in..The guy didnt want to steal anything from me he was wanting to die and he had his gun pointed at me with his finger on the trigger for 8 miles around 20 minutes..i thought he was going to kill me sooner or later..The thing i dont understand is UPS is all about saftey and i havent slept good at all since this happened and i get flashbacks all throughout the day so why would i wanna jump back into the UPS truck and i see something that reminds me of the situation or just think of it for acouple seconds then all the sudden i hit a car or someone..Then i would get fired and its all my fault

It sounds like there's more to your story. I mean the story of after this all happened. Your reply to Upstate that it was a job, sounds like you're not happy as a driver, even if this never occurred. If you're not happy being a driver (service provider), then you should move on to something that brings you joy. If you're honestly traumatized, I think the best thing to do is to get back into that pkg car and overcome your fear. Don't worry about UPS pushing you. Do your job, and before you know it, this will be an historic part of your life and another chapter in your book.

I've been on the business end of a gun before, as well, only I got shot. After about 2 weeks off, I went right back to doing what I was doing, where I had been doing it. For quite some length of time afterwards I was afraid everytime I saw someone that looked similar to the gunman, who btw was never captured. I eventually got over it all and am able to look back unafraid. This happened almost 25 years ago, and though I remember it vividly, it doesn't mess up my life. Don't let this thing that happened, screw you up.

 

[sendagain]

I was once threatened by an illegal who said he was going to blow me away with a 357 Magnum if I didn't drive him to downtown LA. I called his bluff which really upset him, set him to cursing and demanding to know where downtown LA was. I pointed to the high rises a few miles away and sent him on his way.

 

[Christmas]

Saw this on WYMT. Just over the hill from this place and I was like ***. Glad he is ok. But I agree with Upstate. Def need to move on, and try not to think about it. Go back to work and work a normal day(ha-ha) but this would really help your mental status. Not everyone’s out to get you. Just wrong place wrong time. You was just trying to do your job.
But in a funny note. Surprised they didn’t get upset for you breaking trace and coming off his route.

 

[dilligaf]

hello fellow upsers..I'm the one that was held at gunpoint and I am 24 but ive been driving for three years not three weeks..I was just wanting to come on here and see if anyone else has been in this situation and see if they can give me any advice..Two days after it happened i was called to see if i wanted to come back and drive, which i didnt but i felt that was wrong for them to ask just two days after i almost died..Ive been seeing a counselor but its not helping to much and it seems like everyone but my union brothers is trying to get me back to work asap..if anyone could give me some advice i would appreciate it

I am glad to hear that you are getting counseling. That is a positive step. I don't necessarily agree with you that it was wrong that they ask you so soon. Don't necessarily disagree, either. First and foremost, don't worry about what the company is doing. Secondly, I really think you should get back to work as soon as possible. Even if it is just for a a couple hours a day. The longer you stay out the harder it's going to be to go back. This is just my personal opinion and in no way meant to be professional advice. Don't let the fear win.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

We had a driver get in to a fairly serious accident due to brake failure. The center manager brought a spare PC and they transferred the packages. The driver thought the center manager would drive and he would deliver but the center manager wanted the driver to get right back behind the wheel. He hesitated at first but after the first few minutes he began to feel more comfortable.

I have no idea what you are going through mentally but I do know that you need to get on with your life. Whether that life involves UPS or not is your call.

 

[stevetheupsguy]

I am glad to hear that you are getting counseling. That is a positive step. I don't necessarily agree with you that it was wrong that they ask you so soon. Don't necessarily disagree, either. First and foremost, don't worry about what the company is doing. Secondly, I really think you should get back to work as soon as possible. Even if it is just for a a couple hours a day. The longer you stay out the harder it's going to be to go back. This is just my personal opinion and in no way meant to be professional advice. Don't let the fear win.

LOL, dilli, or should I say, Dr. Dilli?

 

[Stran]

We had a driver held up at gunpoint for his COD money back when we still took cash. I got to drive him home from the UPS building. He told me all about what had happened and how scared he was. Now this is no ordinary driver...he stands 6'6" weighs in at about 300# played center for a large college. He is one of those guys I would want on my side in an arguement definitely not the other way around. He was also very angry at the gunman who thought he had locked him in the back of the package car and started to drive away. He got counceling on UPS's dime and came back to work when he was ready. Still with UPS shifting in the yard now. Take as long as you need to heal. They could offer you TAW and ease you back into work. That way you will know that you are not alone...all of us who drive for Big Brown are supporting you!!! I will keep you in my prayers!!

 

[dilligaf]

LOL, dilli, or should I say, Dr. Dilli?

LOL Stephen. It's important to not let the fear win.

 

[brett636]

hello fellow upsers..I'm the one that was held at gunpoint and I am 24 but ive been driving for three years not three weeks..I was just wanting to come on here and see if anyone else has been in this situation and see if they can give me any advice..Two days after it happened i was called to see if i wanted to come back and drive, which i didnt but i felt that was wrong for them to ask just two days after i almost died..Ive been seeing a counselor but its not helping to much and it seems like everyone but my union brothers is trying to get me back to work asap..if anyone could give me some advice i would appreciate it

I'm sorry to hear this has happened to you. As someone who has also been held up at gunpoint on route I can relate to what your going through. I suppose it is something that everyone handles differently as I went to work the next day, as tough as it was, because I refused to allow some ghetto scum to derail some of the financial goals I had been working hard on at that time. I have not shaken off the memories of that day, but in the end I have to chock it up to luck that I did not die on that evening.

Perhaps as time goes on you can realize that this was a one time incident, and be happy that it did not turn out worse. At least in your case the perpetrator got what was coming to him. I wish you luck in your decisions regarding your current situation, and hope everything works out for the best. Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss this further.

 

[pickup]

hello fellow upsers..I'm the one that was held at gunpoint and I am 24 but ive been driving for three years not three weeks..I was just wanting to come on here and see if anyone else has been in this situation and see if they can give me any advice..Two days after it happened i was called to see if i wanted to come back and drive, which i didnt but i felt that was wrong for them to ask just two days after i almost died..Ive been seeing a counselor but its not helping to much and it seems like everyone but my union brothers is trying to get me back to work asap..if anyone could give me some advice i would appreciate it

I'll work with this one. Since you asked for advice. Now normally, the best advice is to get back on the horse if you have been bucked, in a reasonable amount of time. And who knows? in your case, if you did get back in a ups truck, you might be back in your groove. Or perhaps not in case and if so, then you are in trouble, because now you can't go back and get disability or it would be a lot harder.

A lot of things are out of your hands right now in regard to workman's comp in terms of time.

Since you have time ,let me make a suggestion. And only you know how viable it is. Go back to the spot where this happened with a loved one that you wouldn't mind seeing you shudder, cry or whatever. That is where it happened and that is where you might need to relive it with a warm embrace from your companion(s) waiting for you if you need it . Hopefully, that might provide some cathartic release and allow you to get behind the wheel again. For whether it is workman's comp or disability, eventually you are going to have to work again.

My best wishes to you corvette. I know it is easy to give advice . And i hesitated , for I am not in your shoes. But you did ask, and this is all I got.

And before someone says, what if he gets held at gunpoint again?, I think corvette has a better idea of the neighborhood than I do and can take that into consideration while thinking over my idea.