A trucker from Mississippi has received recognition for his heroic efforts during an accident in Missouri last month. The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) recently honored Mark Wilson, a truck driver from Hernando, Mississippi, as a TCA Highway Angel. Wilson, who drives for American Central Transport based in Kansas City, Missouri, stopped to assist a man after his car flipped end-over-end multiple times on a Missouri highway.
According to the TCA’s account:
On May 2, around 10:30 a.m. on Interstate 70 near Marshall, Missouri, Wilson saw a car in front of him lose control and veer off the road. The vehicle entered a ditch in a nearby field and began rolling at a high speed.
“It end-over-end crashed,” Wilson said. “I was only 100 feet away from him by the time I parked.”
Wilson quickly stopped his truck on the shoulder of I-70 and rushed over to the wrecked vehicle.
“Fear took over because airbags were covering the window,” Wilson said. “I was afraid if I looked in I was gonna see something I couldn’t unsee.”
When Wilson called out to the driver, he received a response. The driver, a large man, didn’t seem to have any severe injuries. He mentioned he was driving to Illinois to pick up his grandmother and take her to his graduation in Nebraska. His car was packed with belongings, likely from moving out of his college dorm.
The driver was trapped inside the car, unable to move. Wilson grabbed his arm and tried to help him out.
“I pulled him as far as I could and told him, ‘Hug me like I’m your best friend,'” Wilson said.
Following Wilson’s instructions, the driver was able to free himself from the car. Emergency responders arrived soon after, but the driver declined medical treatment. Wilson felt relieved that he had stopped to help.
“How could I just drive away?” he reflected. “It seemed impossible that anyone could survive that crash.”
Since the TCA Highway Angel program started in August 1997, nearly 1,400 truck drivers have been honored for their extraordinary kindness, courtesy, and bravery on the job. Thanks to the program’s sponsors, EpicVue, DriverFacts, and Northland Insurance, TCA can highlight remarkable drivers like Wilson.
Source: Truckers News
