Heroes of the highway

There are times out there on the highway when a hero is required.

Luckily, truck drivers have often shown the willingness to go that extra mile and help others in need.

The displays of heroism are so common, in fact, that multiple organizations recognize truck drivers for their selfless acts of bravery each year.

In March, Goodyear gave out its 2023 Highway Hero Award, and the Truckload Carriers Association named its Highway Angels of the Year. Both organizations awarded multiple winners.

Goodyear Highway Hero

On March 4, Goodyear named Timothy VanNostrand and Elijah Ramos as the winners of its 2023 Highway Hero Award.  The company said the annual award, which has been handed out since 1983, highlights the “important role truckers play in keeping our highways safe by going above and beyond to help those in need.”

VanNostrand, an OOIDA member from Northville, N.Y., received the award for his actions helping police apprehend a suspect after a traffic stop by a New York State Trooper turned into a shootout. In June 2023, the owner-operator used his logging truck to block the shooter’s car, forcing him to flee on foot.

“I could see the bullets flying out of the back window of the car that the trooper pulled over. I stopped as fast as I could and got slowed down enough to kind of turn into the car and put it against the guardrails, stopping it so the trooper could take control of the situation,” VanNostrand told Land Line. “It all happened so fast, it was a split-second decision.”

Ramos, a driver for Ryder System Inc., earned the honor for assisting a motorist who had crashed her SUV in a remote desert area. He said he saw the driver lose control of her vehicle, cross multiple lanes of traffic and crash into a field. He called for help, staying with the injured driver until emergency crews arrived, then went back to work to finish his route.

“Since it was such a remote area, it could have been a long time until help arrived,” Ramos said. “I was glad to be there when it happened and to call for help quickly.”

Two additional drivers, Joshua Day and Russel Peasley, were recognized as runners-up for this year’s award. The two also received prizes from Goodyear.

Highway Angels

On March 25 at TCA’s convention in Nashville, Tenn., the organization recognized three truck drivers as its Highway Angels of the Year.

Professional truck drivers Tony Blunnie, of Knight Transportation; Dawna Jacobsen, of Erb Transport; and Terry Reavis, of Maverick Transportation LLC, received the award for 2023.

It was the first year that TCA has recognized more than one Highway Angel of the Year.

Blunnie turned a dire situation into a tale of heroism on Feb. 15, 2023. While training a driver on Interstate 20 in Jackson, Miss., Anthony witnessed a devastating crash that left a van in flames and its female driver in peril. Without hesitation, he instructed his trainee to pull over before grabbing his fire extinguisher and leaping into action, battling the fire and breaking the van windows to extract the driver from the wreck with moments to spare before the vehicle was engulfed in flames.

Jacobsen’s heroic story happened in December 2022, when she was driving along Highway 11 in Northern Ontario and came across a harrowing scene. A group of friends had been attempting to cross the highway on snowmobiles, but one hadn’t made it in time to avoid being struck by an oncoming vehicle. Upon witnessing the snowmobile accident, Jacobsen immediately maneuvered her truck to shield the boy and directed other drivers to avoid the scene, protecting him from further injury.

Reavis witnessed a catastrophic collision on Feb. 19, 2023, on I-95 in Brunswick, Ga., where he saw a pickup truck drive backward across three lanes of traffic and get T-boned by an SUV. He was one of the first on scene and didn’t hesitate to assist, rescuing three children and aiding an injured woman until help arrived. His 27 years of experience and training as a first responder enabled him to manage what he described as one of the worst accidents he’d ever seen, remarkably ensuring no lives were lost.

Each driver will receive a complimentary EpicVue satellite TV package that includes a 24-inch flatscreen TV, a DVR and a one-year subscription to over 100 channels of DIRECTV programming, including premium channels such as HBO, Cinemax, Showtime and the NFL Sunday Ticket.

TCA started its Highway Angels program in 1997. In addition to the Highway Angels of the Year, TCA gives out monthly awards throughout the year.

Tim Olden, an OOIDA member, received the rare distinction of being named a Highway Angel twice – most recently on Jan. 11. The 52-year-old trucker from North Chesterfield, Va., recently joined Land Line Now to share what led to that award.

In December, Olden was traveling on I-40 through Tennessee when a flatbed passed him going well over the speed limit. Not long after, he saw the driver exit the highway erratically, crashing his vehicle.

Olden sprang into action, exited the highway and called 911. While waiting for first responders to arrive, he helped the driver out of the wrecked semi. That driver – who admitted to authorities at the scene that he’d fallen asleep at the wheel – managed to walk away with only minor injuries.

While Olden’s actions are being lauded as heroic, he said he was just doing the right thing.

“If I were to crash, I would want somebody to stop and check on me,” Olden told Land Line.

He’d been honored in August 2023 for another instance of “doing the right thing” – that time receiving a Highway Angel award for helping several crash victims following a wreck in Colorado.

Olden said the more recent incident should serve as a cautionary tale to other drivers about the dangers of being tired behind the wheel.

“If you push too hard, something is coming to take everything you’ve worked for away,” he said. “And all it takes is one incident.” LL