Instacart Shopper on Routine Delivery Saves Elderly Man’s Life

Instacart Employee Saves Man's Life

One Instacart employee went above and beyond during a routine home delivery. Georgia-based shopper Jessica Higgs was hired by a woman to bring groceries to her elderly father who could not shop for himself; and, normally, Higgs would have left the supplies outside the house as instructed, but this time she had a feeling something was amiss and went inside to check. Her quick thinking potentially saved two lives.

Higgs recounted the whole story in an emotional TikTok video that has already attracted over 16 million views. “If you see something, say something,” she begins the video. “I take the order and go to drop it off and [the client] says to leave it on [her father's] porch and he'll get it… I get there and something was telling me ‘No, you have to help this man out.'” When the older man came outside to retrieve his delivery, Higgs followed her instinct and helped him bring the groceries inside—something that Instacart employees don't normally do.

However, her concern didn't stop there. Higgs noticed that the man seemed unwell, and contacted his daughter. “I messaged [the client] and told her ‘If I say the order is complete, I won't be able to message you [anymore] and I want to be able to tell you this.' And I said, ‘It's very unprofessional of me to say something and I wasn't going to, but…he's not doing good. He's sick,'” she continues. Higgs noticed that there was a propane tank inside the house, and thought it was possible that there was a gas leak. Propane is a highly flammable gas that can cause nausea, dizziness, and even death if exposed to it in high doses.

After informing the daughter of the elderly man that there was a potential gas leak in the house, the client said that she was going to send her son over to check. Higgs decided to leave and received a tip of $100. The next day, the client followed up with a heartfelt message: “Thank you so much, once my son went to check on my dad it turned out it definitely was leaking, you definitely saved my dad and my younger son's life!!!” Higgs ended the emotional video with parting advice, “I'm just an Instacart worker, but if you see something, say something. I did, and I'm so happy I did and I'm so happy he can live a better life.”

Georgia-based Instacart employee Jessica Higgs went out of her way during an ordinary delivery and saved an elderly man's life. She realized that he looked unwell, and messaged the family about a potential gas leak.

@jessicahiggs3 @Instacart #28DaysOfEucerin #fyp ♬ original sound – Jessica Higgs

@jessicahiggs3 Thanks @instacart ♬ sorry ewancarterr – abby udowenko

@jessicahiggs3 #duet with @jimmydarts ♬ original sound – Jimmy Darts

Jessica Higgs: TikTok
h/t: [Entrepreneur, Today]

All images via Jessica Higgs.

Related Articles:

This Third-Grader’s Email Perfectly Illustrates Why Representation Matters

Heartbreaking Side-by-Side Photo Collages Reveal Stark Differences of Children Around the World

This Teen Just Became the Youngest Woman to Fly Solo Around the World

Margherita Cole

Margherita Cole is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met and illustrator based in Southern California. She holds a BA in Art History with a minor in Studio Art from Wofford College, and an MA in Illustration: Authorial Practice from Falmouth University in the UK. She wrote and illustrated an instructional art book about how to draw cartoons titled 'Cartooning Made Easy: Circle, Triangle, Square' that was published by Walter Foster in 2022.
Become a
My Modern Met Member
As a member, you'll join us in our effort to support the arts.
Become a Member
Explore member benefits

Sponsored Content