Wheelchair Encounter

So, today's "close encounter" happened kind of late in the day, when I was running out to buy some dry white wine to make the gravy for the amazing Ina Garten's "Jeffrey's Chicken" recipe.  I walked up the block and across the street to Fresh and Easy for a quick bottle of sauvignon blanc.  The cashier heard a car screeching outside and said, "Geeze, this corner has near misses all the time!"  I was kind of freaked, because I walk that crosswalk plenty of times during the week and had never known it was a dangerous intersection.  Anyway, I thanked her for her help and walked outside to the crosswalk, pushed the button and waited for the pedestrian symbol to flash up.  While waiting, I noticed a big, broad shouldered 40-something guy in a wheelchair waiting to cross perpendicular from where I was going.  His pedestrian symbol was already on, and now started flashing the time left to cross.  At 12 seconds, he crazily wheeled himself out into the street and I realized he was going diagonally - completely out of the crosswalk and I recognized that he wasn't completely "with it."  Now, I could see that he was veering back to the crosswalk, like a drunkard would walk, and the time was now down to 5 seconds.  I quickly walked out to him, asking if he was okay.  He said he was fine, but with 0 seconds in the crosswalk, I had my hands on the back of his wheelchair and I pushed him safely onto the curb at the other side.  He muttered some thanks and I asked him where he was headed.  He said he was going up the street but was thinking of going to the bathroom first and he seemed to be a little addled, or I wondered if he was a little mentally disturbed.  I told him the crosswalk was good to go for the other side of the street and pointed at the mini mart across the way, thinking he might be able to go to the bathroom there.  He said something like "yeah, I guess I'll go that way." and went on out into the street, made it into the crosswalk over to the other side - relief!  But, instead of wheeling up onto the sidewalk, he turned left and went up the street on the side for a good 20 feet, while I got increasingly upset that I let this guy go somewhere on his unstable own!

This encounter really upset me and I got a little teary-eyed as I walked back home.  I should have spent more time talking with him and figuring out if he needed more help than I gave.  I feel like I just got rid of him as quickly as I could.  Praying that someone else is watching over him and taking care of him...