Hall County

Man spends day using utility vehicle to help neighbors stuck on icy hill

HALL COUNTY, Ga. — Nearly three dozen Hall County residents made it home Wednesday thanks to one of their neighbors.

The icy streets were no match for David Talpes and his all-terrain vehicle.

Talpes told Channel 2’s Berndt Petersen that he had no idea people were watching him.

"Some lady came out and said, 'Can I take your picture?'

Next thing I know, I'm all over social media," Talpes said.

Part of that included the Hall County Sheriff's Office Facebook page, which was a good thing.

Big shout out to this citizen down on Union Circle in south Hall. Word is that he's been out there all day helping...

Posted by Hall County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday, January 17, 2018

During this week's ice and snow, Talpes and his four-seat utility terrain vehicle put the "good" in good Samaritan.

"I only pulled one person out of a ditch. The majority of the people I helped were at the bottom of the hill and couldn't drive up. They were just spinning their tires," Talpes told Petersen.

He spent most of Wednesday towing cars up the icy hills in and around his Flowery Branch neighborhood.


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"If they made it all the way down I'd take them out the other side. People coming up this hill, we just pulled them all the way up," Talpes said.

Folks who did not want their car pulled, he gave a lift home. He figures he helped 30 drivers over the course of several hours.

"It felt good but I didn't think anything of it. I loved it. I was able to talk to my neighbors and meet a bunch of people," Talpes said.

He told Peterson he is only allowed to drive that vehicle on the street during an emergency, and Wednesday qualified.