LEAWOOD, Kan. – When Bryson Rowley and his wife, Brandy were enjoying an afternoon with their kids at a local park, they had no idea what was headed their way. A 14-year old, who had stolen his grandfather’s car, was being chased by police and took the pursuit into the park where the Rowleys and several other children were playing. 
Realizing that the potential was high that one or more of the children could get hurt, Rowley’s instincts took over, and he stepped into action.
“The car came from the opposite side of the park. It came across all the ball fields, across the grass, right at all the kids,” Rowley said. “He jumped the car over a grass patch, onto the road. At that point I told my wife I can’t let him back in.”
Rowley got into his 2006 Dodge 2500 with the intention of keeping the car thief out of the park, but with a heroic move, he ended the chase altogether.
“The place he exited the park was the only way back in, so I was just going to block the road with my truck. When I got there to block the road, he was turning to come in, so I did what I was hoping was right, and put the truck in front of him to stop him."
While Rowley himself was unhurt, the same couldn’t be said about his truck. The head-on collision caused more than $7,000 worth of damage, and he knew that his insurance would likely not cover the repair. That’s when West Valley CARSTAR stepped in.
Brian Ellison, the production manager and co-owner of West Valley CARSTAR, heard about what happened and offered to fix Rowley’s truck free of charge.
“I saw what happened on the news that night, and thought the least I can do is help him out,” Ellison said. “If it was one of my kids, or one of my nieces or nephews, you can’t replace that. Cars can be replaced, people can’t.”
After trying to get in touch with Rowley through Facebook, Ellison called a local radio personality, Alan Handy with KBER, for help. Handy was able to put the two in touch, and things moved quickly from there.
“We loaded a Hertz rental car on a truck,” Ellison said. “We took the rental car to his house, picked his truck up and brought it back, and then started the process of getting it fixed.”
West Valley CARSTAR didn’t just fix Rowley’s truck. Through the help of several vendors, they gave it a serious upgrade. Companies, including Fusion Bumpers, Diesel Power Gear, Smittybilt, Sinister Diesel, Jacket Accessories, Tip Top Transmission, Precision Dent, Diesel Sellerz.com, Sparks Motors, MBRP, Monster Hooks Inc. and Larry H. Miller Chrysler Jeep Dodge donated parts, accessories and services. Hertz also covered the entire rental. In all, Rowley ended up with $15,000 to $20,000 worth of repairs and upgrades.
West Valley CARSTAR was happy that they could help a hero like Rowley.
“We’ve been pretty blessed down here. It was the least I could do," Ellison said. “He’s a good guy. When he came to pick it up, he was in tears.”
