Stranded truck driver thankful for Minto woman who delivered coffee, food on horseback

Manitoban rides horseback to aid stranded trucker Eileen Eagle Bears, 18, rode four-kilometres each way to deliver hot coffee and food to a truck driver.

A Winnipeg truck driver is thanking a woman who jumped on her horse and brought him coffee and a hot meal while he was stranded on highway 10 south of Brandon.

An image of a stranded trucker captured by Manitoba 511 highway cameras prompted Eileen Eagle Bears, 18, to spring into action.

She saw the image of the stranded motorist on the highway 10 camera and rode four kilometres each way up and down hills in icy conditions to deliver a thermos of hot coffee to the man on Tuesday morning.

"I just thought I should do something," she said. "I made up a thermos of coffee and took it to him on horseback."

The trucker, Winnipeg resident Peter Douglas, was on his way to Brandon from Boissevain Monday afternoon at around 4 p.m. when he got stuck in his semi on highway 10 in the Souris Valley.

He was monitoring the weather, thinking he could make it to Brandon.

"The Souris Valley was one sheet of ice and I couldn't pull the whole thing," Douglas said. "I was trapped."

"With all my brakes on, I still started sliding backwards."

While Douglas was alone on the highway, he knew his truck was parked in view of one of the province's highway cameras.

"My family, my bosses and it seems everyone on Facebook knew exactly where I was."

He slept in his truck Monday night. The next morning, he got a pleasant surprise.

"Lo and behold, first thing in the morning, I look out my window and there was a horse and a young lady by the name of Eileen Eagle Bears," Douglas said. "She brought me coffee."

"She had to walk that horse half a mile up that hill and half a mile down because it was so icy. Blew me away," Douglas said. "She said she saw me on the camera. Her and her family were watching."

Douglas was surprised when Eagle Bears came back a second time with water and a thermos of stew and potatoes.

He eventually got towed and made his way to Brandon after spending 28 hours stranded on highway 10.

He said he's grateful for Eagle Bears generosity. He still has her thermoses, but plans to drop them off on his next run down

"He was really happy to know someone came,” Eagle Bears said.

An image of her horse was saved by a Facebook user and the image has been circulating on social media ever since.

Eagle Bears said she just wanted to help; she didn't think her horseback delivery would garner so much attention.