In April 2023, Liv Titor visited Dreamtime beach on Australia's Gold Coast. What happened to her that day felt like a nightmare. After a quick swim, Liv walked out onto a sandbar beside some rocks. Then she felt a pull at her legs and fell into the water. Liv stepped into a rip current that quickly pulled her out to sea towards massive waves and jagged rocks.

Lani Williams and her mother, Sincerity, could smell smoke, but that wasn’t rare on Maui. Brush fires happen with some regularity. This fire, they quickly learned, was different.

Bob Tillotson knew the avalanche danger was high when he set out with friends into the Utah backcountry on his snowmobile. But he also knew which areas to avoid. Or so he thought. On January 13, 2024, an avalanche hit Bob without warning, carrying him down the mountain in a wave of snow. When he stopped, he was completely buried and separated from his group.

When Gabriel Otrin and Klever Freire stepped into their office elevator, they naturally assumed they’d be able to get out. It was August 2018, and a massive downpour was causing floods all over Toronto. Gabriel and Klever were working late and went to check on Klever’s car in the basement garage. Before they reached the bottom, however, the elevator stopped with a jerk and began to quickly fill with water. They couldn’t open the doors. They were trapped.

Nicole Rakowski arrived in Iceland looking for adventure. She left in a wheelchair. In February 2017, Nicole and two friends hiked to a natural hot spring just south of Reykjavík. When they arrived, Nicole took off her boots, changed into her bathing suit and stepped onto the riverbank beside the steaming water. She immediately began to sink into the mud and felt excruciating pain. She screamed for help.

Tell Me What Happened — the award-winning podcast about people helping people — is returning this March!

Seven new stories of people helping people are headed your way this March as Tell Me What Happened, an original podcast from OnStar®, returns for a fourth season. Meet a hiker who had to be pulled from scalding mud, residents forced to flee Maui’s wildfires and more strangers relying on the goodness of others. Want to make sure you're prepared for the unexpected? Visit onstar.com/why-onstar to learn more.

In 1941, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, the Bogancha family saved two young Jewish girls from Nazi soldiers, giving them fake identities and hiding them in an orphanage. That act of kindness would ripple across time and, amazingly, lead to the help their descendants needed after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

When her crowded New York City subway train screeched to an emergency stop, K.Page Stuart Valdes melted in fear. She’d recently had a stroke nobody could explain. Terrified it would happen again, right there surrounded by strangers, K.Page felt anxiety wash over her. Until one warm voice cut through the fog.

On the morning of Christmas Eve 2022, Joe White set out on the long walk to his job in the North Park neighborhood of Buffalo, New York. Joe has autism and he didn’t realize he was walking into the deadliest winter storm to hit the region in a century. Severely frostbitten and disoriented, Joe stumbled into snowdrifts and called out for help. A stranger heard his plea.

Taylor Hash, a student pilot, had just taken off on only her third solo flight when her front wheel fell off and went bouncing down the runway. That left her in the air alone and facing a dangerous emergency landing.

When Hurricane Ian made landfall in Fort Myers, Florida, Kevin Ott set out to rescue his kids’ grandmother from her flooded home. Boating through a Category 4 hurricane, he came across more people who he knew might not survive the storm without his help.

Phil Mummert experienced a surfer’s worst nightmare — a shark attack. He’s alive today because of some quick thinking, a broken surfboard, and three strangers who paddled straight into danger.

René Compeán set out for a quick hike on a local trail he knew well, so how did he end up lost on a mountainside, thinking he might not survive the night in the wilderness? And how did a stranger with a unique hobby play a crucial role in his rescue?

Looking for a riveting story that will help you feel better about humanity? Tell Me What Happened by OnStar is back with new episodes featuring strangers showing up to help people when it matters the most.

Tell Me What Happened by OnStar is returning! We’ve found seven more amazing stories about people helping people, and we want to share them with you. Keep an eye out for Season 3, coming May 2023.

Sensitive content warning: This episode discusses human trafficking, mental health and suicide. Suamhirs was just a teenager when he was abducted and forced into the world of human trafficking. He was subjected to months of nightmarish treatment at the hands of adults across America. But unlike many victims of the sex trade, he was saved. Now, he works to make life better for others. That is only possible because of the efforts of a stranger: Sabrina, the woman who helped him find his voice.

Richard had seen the weather forecast the night before, and knew the next morning was going to be the perfect powder day — a skier’s dream. But his morning on the hill changed quickly when his backpack got caught on a chairlift, which sent him back down the mountain.

It wasn’t Lindsay’s first time feeding an alligator. She has been a trainer and handler for years at a local reptile zoo. But during a children’s birthday party it all went wrong, and Lindsay’s hand ended up in the alligator’s mouth. Thanks to a quick thinking bystander, who put his own life at risk - Lindsay can retell the story and describe how she used her training to instruct a stranger how to help her.

The CZU Lightning Complex Fires caused massive damage to huge tracts of land in California. Thousands of homes and businesses had to be evacuated. But it wasn’t just people, animals had to be moved as well. This is the story of how 65 horses were saved thanks to the help of a stranger with a unique skill set.

Gabe and Sheri’s first big road trip as a couple was to visit friends 700 miles away through beautiful mountain ranges. They had planned for a long drive with snacks, games and a few stops along the way. But they didn’t plan for what ultimately derailed their trip.

Aidan Jackson is like most teenagers; he loves to play video games. One of the fascinating things about the world of online gaming is that distance and borders are no longer barriers to friendships. Aidan games with people from all over the world. He’s now grateful for that more than ever after a fellow gamer heard the sounds of him having a seizure from 5,000 miles away and made the right calls for help.

Ryan Osmun’s Valentine’s Day hike was supposed to be picturesque and romantic. Instead, it turned out to be terrifying and unimaginable. Ryan never dreamed of being in a river, thigh deep in quicksand, sinking further in and unable to get out, with snow falling around him.

Seven more incredible stories of people helping people are coming your way in season 2. This season includes: - a mudslide that knocks a car over a cliff - a video gamer suffering a seizure - where the only witness is 5,000 miles away - and a daring rescue on the chairlift of a ski hill. These stories will remind you just how kind strangers can be, and how you can help keep others safe.