Instacart Driver and Mom of Two Reminds Us To Trust Our Instincts After Saving Man's Life

An Instacart employee proved to be a literal lifesaver this week, and it's all because she followed her instincts. She posted the story on TikTok, and the video has already racked up more than 10.8 million views in one day.

It's a long story but an inspiring one—buckle up.

Higgs, who goes by @jessicahiggs3 on TikTok, began the video with the moral of the story.

"I just want to start this off by saying, if you see something, say something," she said through tears.

The day before, Higgs was completing what appeared to be a routine Instacart run. A daughter had placed the order for her older father, who couldn't shop for himself. Higgs said she always goes the extra mile for her customers but felt she needed to go even further for this one. She had no idea how far she was about to go to help this family.

When she had all of the groceries, Higgs headed to the man's home. The daughter told her to put the bags on the porch, which Higgs said is standard. But when she arrived, she had a gut feeling something was off.

"Something was telling me, 'No, you've got to help this guy out,'" Higgs said. The man came outside, and she offered to help him.

"You're not supposed to go inside someone's house [per Instacart's policy], but I used my judgment," Higgs said, later adding, "I could not just leave."

Higgs thought the father looked sick.

"I never talk. I just put the groceries down and leave. This time I thought, 'You've got to say something,'" she said.

Higgs messaged his daughter, writing, "He's not doing good. He's sick. There's a propane tank in there. I was in there maybe five feet, and I got dizzy. There's probably a leak. He might not be doing good because of this leak."

The daughter let her know she'd have her son take a look and then upped her tip from $14 to $100. Higgs was grateful for the extra tip, but the comment the woman left was priceless and left Higgs in tears.

It read, "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 younger son's life."

Now, Higgs' video has more than 125K comments from TikTokers applauding her for trusting her instincts.

"This is absolutely amazing. The world is still full of good people, and you, my friend, are among the best," wrote one.

"My whole heart. You precious caring bean," replied another.

"You're an angel. You were supposed to be there in that moment," said someone else.

"You are a hero. Trust your gut always. I am so proud of you. @Instacart give this queen a bonus or a thank you at least," wrote another.

Higgs is blown away by the response to the video but hopes others learn from the experience.

"I hope it has inspired someone to bend the boundaries to be the help someone might need," Higgs says. "Everyone is human, and everyone deserves to be treated with the utmost respect. Respect comes in all forms. In this case, it was speaking up."

Higgs, who has two sons, tells them to use their voices to help others too.

"They inspire me every day," she says. "I try to teach my oldest to stand up against bullying when he sees it. I know he would be proud that I stuck to my word, 'If you see something. Say something.'"

Higgs says she has not heard from the family she helped. We hope they're doing well.