Zach Yeakley named 2022 Highway Angel of the Year by TCA

Zach Yeakley of Batesville, Ark. was named the 2022 Highway Angel of the Year by the Truckload Carriers Association and presenting sponsor EpicVue in Orlando, Fla., on March 6.

Yeakley, a driver for Joplin, Mo.-based CFI, was honored as part of TCA’s annual convention, Truckload 2023.

In March 2022, Yeakley was on his route to West Memphis, Ark., and was alerted of a crash on his CB radio. It was a foggy morning, and as Yeakley approached the scene he began to see smoke and saw a man flagging down traffic.

This chain-reaction crash involved nearly 50 vehicles, and several of the vehicles caught fire.

Yeakley, a trained combat lifesaver with the Army National Guard, immediately pulled over and ran toward the wreckage to help.

“Some people had some broken arms, one had a collapsed lung and a few broken ribs from the impact,” Yeakley said in a news release. “There was one guy trapped in his truck. Me, a sheriff, a state trooper and a FedEx driver did what we could to get him out.”

Yeakley recounts the harrowing situation in this video.

Thrilled to congratulate Professional Driver Zach Yeakley for being named 2022 TCA’s Highway Angel of the Year! https://t.co/jM3NHwwkXw “This is a proud moment for all of us at CFI. Zach represents everything it means to be a professional driver and a hero.” -President, Greg Orr pic.twitter.com/9WfeW0EITZ

— CFI (@WeDriveCFI) March 6, 2023

Several fatalities resulted from the crash, according to local authorities.

However, Yeakley helped to rescue six crash victims from several vehicles, said the news release.

He said he would not hesitate to do it again and credited his military training in preparing him to be able to help others.

Yeakley was presented with a personalized crystal truck by EpicVue CEO Lance Platt, who thanked him for his “selfless act of courage,” at the Highway Angel award presentation in Orlando.

Yeakley will also receive a complimentary EpicVue satellite TV package that includes a 24-inch flat-screen TV, a DVR, and a one-year subscription to over 100 channels of DIRECTV programming.

Since 1997, TCA’s Highway Angel program has recognized professional truck drivers who have “selflessly helped others while on the job.” LL