Having learned of a professional truck driver who was killed while attempting to help an accident victim, the Truckload Carriers Assn. has posthumously bestowed its Highway Angel award on Good Samaritan Raul C. Perez Jr., who drove for Lancaster, TX-based Aquatic Trucking.
On Feb. 12 at about 6:45 p.m., Perez was headed westbound on I-20 near Clyde, TX, on icy roads. Coming upon an accident, the 33-year-old driver parked his truck just off the road and walked to a disabled vehicle to check on its occupants. As he was returning to his truck, an older woman driving west struck the disabled vehicle and then hit Perez. He was taken to the hospital but, tragically, did not survive.