The Truckload Carriers Association has officially named Lewis its newest Highway Angel, recognizing the calm, quick, and compassionate way he handled a crash he came across in western Iowa.

According to TCA, Lewis was rolling westbound near Harlan around 6 a.m. on November 9 when he saw a car heading the opposite direction suddenly lose control and wreck.

“I thought, ‘Okay, let’s make sure everything is okay,” he said. After pulling over, Lewis made his way down toward the vehicle, which had landed roughly 100 feet off the highway in an irrigation ditch.

When he reached the scene, he found a young woman named Cora climbing the embankment. She was not hurt, but she was shaken and freezing. After calling 911 and her parents, she took shelter inside Lewis’s truck to warm up until troopers arrived. She told him she had fallen asleep at the wheel.

Her parents later reached out to Lewis’s employer with a message that every driver can appreciate.

“We are very grateful for his kindness and how he kept her safe and warm until the state trooper got to the scene. Owen is a model employee who your company is lucky to have on board. We appreciate what he did for our daughter yesterday,” Emily Truitt and Toby Knoop.

Lewis says helping was never a question. “I have always felt like if something happens, I need to stop and make sure everything is okay.”

He joins nearly 1,500 other professional drivers recognized since the TCA Highway Angel program began in 1997. Supported by EpicVue, DriverFacts, and Northland Insurance, the program continues spotlighting the drivers who show real heart out on the highway.

For truckers like Lewis, it is just another day doing the right thing, but the impact lasts far longer.

Source: Truckers News

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Ross, who drives for MCK Trucking Inc. based in Madison, Alabama, was recognized for contacting authorities and helping law enforcement rescue a young woman from an abductor earlier this year.

The incident happened on February 25 around 4 p.m. while Ross was parked at a rest area off I-40 in rural West Tennessee near Jackson. From inside his truck, he noticed a girl running barefoot with her shoes in hand.

“This young girl went running to the right of my truck in the grass with shoes in her hand,” Ross recalled. “I thought in my head, ‘something’s not right about that’.”

Ross watched as she sprinted about a quarter mile before disappearing into the woods. Moments later, a man followed, running directly after her.

“It scared me,” Ross said. “I went and called 911.”

A Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper arrived within minutes and was able to intervene, rescuing the young woman who, according to law enforcement, had been abducted in California. Ross also handed over video footage from his Samsara windshield camera, which authorities say will serve as critical evidence in the prosecution of the abductor.

Still shaken, Ross later asked another truck driver at the scene:

“Did I just save that girl’s life? I hope I did.”

David Wheeler, Safety Director at MCK Transportation, praised Ross for taking action and highlighted the importance of professional drivers speaking up when something seems wrong.

“MCK is grateful to have a driver like Ron who makes a difference in the world,” Wheeler said.

Ross’s recognition as a TCA Highway Angel is part of the program’s ongoing effort to spotlight truck drivers who go above and beyond to keep others safe on America’s highways.

Image Source: TCA
Source: The Trucker

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