Highway Hero’s response: ‘It’s what we do’

You don’t have to be a trained emergency responder to be a Goodyear Highway Hero, but it came in handy for professional driver Gerald “Andy” Wright, the latest hero named in the annual program.

Wright, 49, of Jacksonville, Ill., saw a smoking SUV alongside a road and knew exactly what to do. He beat back a fire in the engine compartment and pulled four people from the wreck.

“It was laying on its side in a ditch,” he recalled. “I used my fire extinguisher on the fire until it ran out, then broke out the sunroof and pulled the people out. … There was an older woman – a grandma – and her daughter, and her daughter’s two kids. The grandma had two broken ankles and one of the kids had a broken arm, I think. It seemed like a long time, but it was probably about five minutes.”

The Ford Explorer had collided with another car and rolled onto its right side, so he why used a steel bar to break out the large sunroof. Wright pulled two women and two children from the SUV, when became engulfed in flames soon after.

Wright drives for Wausau Supply Co. of Schofield, Wis. He said he’s driven for 19 years during which he’s covered 2 million miles. He pulls a 53-foot curtain-sided flatbed delivering siding and other building supplies to home improvement stores. He runs regionally, usually within 200 miles of home, and is home every night.

Would he respond like that again?

“In a heartbeat,” he said. “I’m a volunteer emergency responder for the Alexander Fire Protection District in central Illinois. It’s my second job. This is what we do.”

Highway Hero is a program by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. Since 1983, the Highway Hero Award has celebrated professional truck drivers who act selflessly for the good of others on the highways across North America.

Wright received $1,000 as well as custom prizes from Goodyear.

Wright was awarded the Highway Hero honor at a ceremony at the 2022 Technology & Maintenance Council conference in Orlando, Fla.

He was once one of three finalists. The other finalists:

• Jami Meyers, who was driving on an interstate when she noticed a car in front of her swerved lanes and hit a barrier. Meyers exited her truck to investigate when she noticed the vehicle was slowly moving, and the car’s driver was on the ground in front of the car. Meyers entered the vehicle and put the car in reverse to ensure the man could be safely removed from the car’s path. Meyers then placed a coat on the man to keep him warm and stayed with him until emergency personnel arrived.
• Phillip Hurte, who was driving through Lubbock, Texas, when he witnessed an SUV roll over. Hurte pressed on his brakes and pulled over to see if he could help. When Hurte approached the damaged vehicle, he noticed two adults and a young child inside. Hurte helped each family member exit safely and waited with them as first responders rushed to the scene.

As program finalists, Meyers and Hurte also will receive monetary prizes from Goodyear. LL