24 Truck Drivers Named State Highway Heroes
15 January 1999
24 Truck Drivers Named State Highway Heroes AKRON, Ohio, Jan. 14 -- Everyday, throughout North America,
ordinary citizens perform heroic deeds that may not make the evening news and
often go unnoticed. It is in the spirit of these hometown heroes that The
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company honors their brave, caring and selfless acts of
kindness.
Twenty-four truck drivers representing 23 states and provinces earned the
1998 Goodyear State Highway Hero Award, Goodyear announced today. Founded by
Goodyear in 1983, the National Highway Hero program recognizes professional
truck drivers and the oftentimes unnoticed, life-saving rescues and roadside
assistance they provide as their jobs take them across the country.
Among this year's class of courageous citizens who build their lives on
North America's highways are career truckers who not only put the safety and
well being of their fellow motorists above their own, but some who actually
gave their lives while aiding others in need.
This group of everyday people turned State Highway Heroes was selected by
an independent agency from a pool of 41 nominees. Capturing state-level
honors, this group comprises the initial winners, one of whom will be named
the 1998 National Highway Hero.
The 24 state winners are:
Jerry Mitchell, Demopolis, Ala. -- While driving on I-20 outside of
Dallas, Mitchell glanced in his rearview mirror just as the propane tanks on a
motor home traveling behind his rig exploded. As flames engulfed the camper,
Mitchell and another driver removed two badly burned victims from their fiery
trap, moving them out of harm's way while controlling the spreading fire until
help arrived.
Larry Miller, Tucson, Ariz. -- Making his way through a downpour in
Nashville, Tenn., Miller found himself barreling toward an accident scene with
no space or time to stop. With three disabled vehicles and their operators in
his path, Miller veered his truck to avoid the defenseless victims, sending
him into a collision with a concrete barrier. While preventing certain
catastrophe, Miller, fortunately, only suffered minor injuries.
Lynn Tracey, Chilliwack, British Columbia -- Just after nightfall on June
22 of last year, Tracey happened upon an accident victim who had been thrown
from his truck. She cleared the air passages of the badly disfigured and
unconscious victim to restore regular breathing. Tracey prevented the
motorist from going into shock as she monitored his vital signs until medical
help arrived from more than 20 miles away.
Paul Ostoich, Cottonwood, Calif. -- Traveling across a bridge on a flooded
county road in Red Bluff, Calif., Ostoich passed safely through danger only to
find a fellow motorist had not fared as well. He returned to the waist-high
floodwaters to rescue the stranded victim as the current, fueled by an erupted
dam, threatened to sweep them both away. Ostoich gathered up the hysterical
woman only moments before the swift waters carried her car downstream.
Gilles Heroux, Maranja, Fla. -- Traveling through Titusville, Fla., on a
mail run to Miami, Heroux was the first on the scene of a wrecked tractor
trailer that had exploded and flipped over, trapping its driver. Heroux
pulled the driver from the fiery wreckage through the truck's smashed
windshield. With the help of another motorist, he was able to move the victim
to safety before the truck exploded a second time.
Kelly Pate, Evansville, Ind. -- Traveling with his wife on a rainy evening
near Daytona Beach, Fla., Pate witnessed as a driver ahead lost control of her
vehicle, rolling it several times. The driver escaped relatively unharmed, so
Pate and two other motorists set about trying to roll the vehicle back onto
its wheels. As the four stood on the median, an unwary motorist failed to
yield to the stopped traffic, lost control of her vehicle and struck the four
people and the wrecked vehicle. Pate died later that evening from his
injuries, leaving behind his young bride and 2-year-old daughter.
Robert Dunn, Cimarron, Kan. -- Traveling west on I-40 in Eric, Okla., Dunn
witnessed as a car veered off the road, rolling several times, throwing out
two of its passengers before coming to a stop. While the two thrown from the
car -- an adult and an infant child -- were killed instantly, three passengers
in the vehicle survived. Dunn and another trucker provided blankets and water
for the remaining victims and prevented them from going into shock.
James Cullins, Simsboro, La. -- When no one else would stop in the pouring
rain to help, Cullins came to the aid of a motorist who was badly injured on
the Red River Bridge in Bossier City, La. Having removed the woman from her
van, Cullins placed his jacket beneath her, covered her with his uniform shirt
and used his T-shirt to dress her wounds. He cleared her air passages to help
her breathe and kept her calm until help arrived.
Christopher Sackos, Lawrence, Mass. -- On the evening of Dec. 16, 1997,
Sackos realized what appeared to be a duffel bag lying near the side of I-495
in Andover, Mass., was actually a barely conscious woman. Sackos turned his
rig sideways and slammed on the brakes to put himself between the victim and
the oncoming traffic that was certain to hit her. After summoning help on his
radio, Sackos used his jacket and a blanket to keep her warm while resting her
head on a pillow until help arrived.
William Basner II, Harbor Beach, Mich. -- Alerted by another driver that
there had been an accident, Basner arrived at the scene to find a wrecked
truck on fire with its passengers trapped inside. He extinguished the flames,
and with a police officer's help, removed the two passengers. The driver had
died on impact.
Joseph Rice, St. James, Mo. -- After watching a rig, engulfed in flames,
roll over several times, Rice rushed to the scene, breaking through the
windshield to get to the trapped driver. He managed to get the half-conscious
driver to release the seat belt that held him dangling in the cab of the fiery
rig. He pulled the driver to safety only to learn that a second victim was
trapped in the tractor's sleeping compartment. Despite efforts by Rice and
another motorists, the second victim perished in the flames.
Wayne Carpenter, Keene, N.H. -- Carrying a load of cargo through Durham,
N.H., Carpenter witnessed a head-on collision between a car and truck in which
both vehicles erupted in flames. The driver of the truck and a passenger in
the car managed to free themselves from their fiery traps, but the driver of
the car was unconscious. Unable to control the quickly spreading fires,
Carpenter proceeded to pull the driver from the car and to safety. Despite
Carpenter's efforts and risking his own life, the driver was pronounced dead
at the scene.
Allan Ackles, Willseyville, N.Y. -- In the early morning hours of June 28,
Ackles was the first on the scene moments after motorist struck a rock cut and
sat unconscious in his now burning vehicle. The flames had grown beyond the
help of a fire extinguisher when Ackles and another motorist charged the
vehicle, removing its victim before it exploded.
Jamie Pritchard, Elk Park, N.C. -- Pritchard, carrying his family home
down I-81 near Marion, Va., saw a truck bump a smaller car into a guardrail;
its cargo -- a mother and four children. Seeing smoke coming from the car's
engine, Pritchard left his family sleeping in his rig to assist the victims.
Calming them, he checked for injuries and explained to the little girl in the
passenger seat that he was going to carry her to the safety of his truck.
Lifting her, he glanced over his shoulder in time to see another vehicle
heading toward them. Pritchard shoved the child back into the car, but was
struck himself and killed instantly.
Mitchell Stinson, Fairborn, Ohio -- After investigating what he thought
were strange lights off the side of the road, Stinson found a wrecked car
engulfed in flames, its driver trapped inside. After crossing a highway,
scaling a fence and crossing a creek, he and another motorist pried open the
car's window to remove the hysterical driver. Over his shoulder, Stinson
carried the rescued victim to safety just before the car exploded.
Michael Thatcher, Stillwater, Okla. -- On a cold and windy Dec. 4, 1997,
morning, Thatcher happened upon an accident scene that appeared to have no
victim. After further examining the scene, he found a young driver, semi-
frozen, on the side of the road. He wrapped her in his coat, keeping her warm
until the ambulance arrived one hour later.
Mark Savarie and Michael Asselin, Markstay, Ontario -- Arriving in their
trucks shortly after another rig slammed into a rock cut on Highway 17 in
Sudbury, Ontario, Savarie and Asselin set to dousing flames while freeing the
driver. Realizing the rig was transporting explosives, Savarie quickly
retrieved his first aid kit and tended to the driver's most serious injuries.
He then moved his partner's truck out of harm's way, using it to create a
barricade to prevent other drivers from approaching too closely to the
volatile scene. The rig exploded, destroying Savarie's new truck, which was
still parked nearby. Although debris was thrown nearly two miles from the
scene, no one was injured in the explosion.
Shane Strozinsky, Portland, Ore. -- While waiting at an intersection,
Strozinsky noticed an elderly, visually impaired gentleman unknowingly walking
into traffic. Having failed to capture the attention of the man with the
white cane by blasting his horn, Strozinsky left his vehicle to pull the man
out of harm's way. He then helped the gentleman safely reach his destination.
Herbert Haagen, Punxsutawney, Pa. -- Making his way home on State Route
36, Haagen came across a car sitting on the side the road, its tail end in
flames. Upon putting out the fire, he noticed the driver sprawled across the
front seat, his foot planted on the accelerator. Haagen walked the apparently
inebriated driver to a safe area to lie down.
Michael Shannon, Blacksburg, S.C. -- Just as Shannon was getting back on
the road after taking a rest, a car up ahead blew a tire, lost control and was
hit by another vehicle. It rolled several times before coming to a rest on
its side on the median. After pulling a young lady from the vehicle, Shannon
returned to rescue her mother, who sustained life-threatening injuries. He
performed emergency medical care on the elderly woman, reportedly saving her
life.
David Adams, Deer Lodge, Tenn. -- Traveling on I-75, Adams spotted an
accident in which one of his fellow drivers had been rear-ended by another
truck, the driver of which was in serious condition. When none of the
onlookers would offer needed materials to tend to the driver's wounds, Adams
used his own T-shirt to apply a tourniquet to stop what could have been fatal
blood loss. He remained on the site, keeping the injured driver calm until
the paramedics could load him into an ambulance.
Cecil Hodges, Garland, Texas -- Crossing a bridge in Thayer, Mo., Hodges'
truck was hit by an oncoming pick-up truck. The driver's arm, which was
hanging out of the window as they passed each other, was torn nearly
completely off. Hodges left his rig to tend to the other driver. Using
training he learned as an Eagle Scout, he applied pressure to his shoulder to
prevent blood loss and possibly save the injured arm. The young man survived
the accident, but did eventually lose his arm.
James Rowlett, Sandyville, W.Va. -- Seeing smoke and fire ahead, Rowlett
left his rig and raced to an accident scene where a car had been severely
rear-ended, leaving the passengers dazed. With the help of two other
truckers, Rowlett doused the flames and fought through hot glass and steel to
rescue the five passengers trapped in the mangled wreckage. While the five-
month-old girl traveling in the back seat managed to survive, her mother was
pronounced dead at the scene.
Later this month, four finalists will be selected from the pool of State
Highway Heroes. The four and their spouses will be Goodyear's guests for an
all-expenses-paid trip March 24-28 to Louisville, Ky., where they will be
introduced at the Mid-America Trucking Show, and Nashville, Tenn., where the
1998 Goodyear National Highway Hero will be announced on "The Nashville
Network's Prime Time Country" television program.
