The Truckload Carriers Assn. (TCA) has added Calvin White of St. Pauls, NC, a driver for G&P Trucking Company, Inc., of Gaston, SC, to its roster of Highway Angels for his efforts to assist at an accident and for rescuing a young boy.
On Nov. 25, 2012, at about 1 p.m., White was driving northbound along I-95 in Halifax, NC, on his way to drop off a load. He noticed a pickup truck traveling southbound. Suddenly, it ran off the road and headed into the median. Luggage and other items came flying out of the back of the vehicle. The driver overcorrected, causing the pickup to flip several times and land upside down on its roof.
White could see steam rising from the vehicle and worried that a fire could start. He stopped his tractor-trailer safely on the side of the road and was the first person to reach the scene. He wondered if anyone had been ejected, but did not see anyone out on the ground.
Spying a shovel near the pickup, he used it to pry the passenger door open and pulled a young boy out. The boy had sustained serious head injuries and was in shock. White handed the boy to a woman who had stopped to help and turned his attention to the driver, who was most likely the boy’s grandfather. He started to cut off the seatbelt but, unfortunately, it was too late—the man had already died.
“I’m not a hero. I just did what you have to do in life,” said White. “This is my 44th year of truck driving. I’ve seen a lot of accidents in my time. If I can assist, I will.”
For helping the accident victims, White was presented with a Highway Angel lapel pin, certificate, and patch. G&P Trucking also received a certificate acknowledging that one of its drivers is a Highway Angel.
TCA’s Highway Angel program is sponsored by Internet Truckstop. Since the program’s inception in August 1997, hundreds of drivers have been recognized as Highway Angels for the unusual kindness, courtesy, and courage they have shown others while on the job.
To learn more about the program or to nominate a driver, go to www.truckload.org/highway-angel or visit the Angel Facebook page at http://on.fb.me/tcanews.
