Out on the road, truckers witness more than most people ever will, and sometimes they are the first ones to step in when things go sideways. That is exactly what happened earlier this month when Sharp Transportation driver Owen Lewis spotted trouble on I-80 and did not hesitate to help.
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
