A Florida woman who had meeting Oprah Winfrey on her bucket list could not have imagined how she would eventually get to tick that one off.
The multi-millionaire talk show host and media entrepreneur’s driver had just pulled away from a restaurant in her Cadillac Escalade when one of its tyres stopped on Lori Geller Bender’s foot, causing her to fall backwards. Responding to Mrs Bender’s husband banging frantically on Oprah’s car’s window, her driver reversed, allowing the 44-year-old to free herself. Then, to her shock, Oprah leapt out of the car to comfort her.
Bender says of Saturday’s incident: “We were crossing the street to arrive at the restaurant, and there were a lot of cameras. I could see a big crowd of security guards, and as soon as Oprah got into the car, it pulled out from the kerb, and a wheel went over my foot. I was wearing heels, my toe was trapped under the wheel and I fell to the ground, hitting my coccyx and my head.
“My husband was banging on the window, shouting for the driver to pull back. I am lucky because if the SUV had gone slightly further forward it would have crushed my whole ankle.
“The driver reversed off my foot and Oprah jumped out. She couldn’t have been nicer and more gracious. She looked really shocked and asked me if I was OK, and took a good look at my foot. I wasn’t hurt, and I told her I was fine. Oprah said, “Well, that’s worth a picture,’ and she put her arm around me and we took some photos.”
If that’s how it really went down and a line is drawn under the incident, then credit to the lady for not making more of it. Lawyers must be slumping in their chairs all over Florida – though I suspect Ms Winfrey might have at least offered to cushion the blow with some of that green paper Americans are so consumed by.
However, my inner cynic and the remarkably healthy state of the victims toes tells me that somewhat less happened than is being alleged, but . . hey . . at least that list got ticked.
