22 Truck Drivers Named Goodyear State Highway Heroes
20 November 2000
AKRON, Ohio - Truck drivers over the past year rescued a kidnapped
8-year-old girl, pulled motorists from fiery crashes and came to the aid
of a police officer who was being brutally attacked.
Those incidents are among the brave acts performed by 22 truck drivers
from across the United States who have earned the 2000 Goodyear State Highway
Hero Award. Founded by Goodyear in 1983, the Highway Hero program recognizes
professional truck drivers and the life-saving rescues and roadside assistance
they provide as their jobs take them across North America.
"Goodyear established this award to shine some light on the selfless acts
performed by truck drivers and provide the public with a more balanced
portrayal of the men and women who drive trucks for a living," said Rick
Howell, Goodyear's marketing director of commercial systems.
Later this year, four finalists will be selected from the State Highway
Heroes. In March at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, one of the
finalists will be chosen to serve as the 2000 representative for the North
American Highway Hero Award. All four finalists will receive a $10,000 savings
bond and an all-expense-paid trip to the Daytona 500 in February.
The 22 State Highway Heroes are:
James Randy Taylor, Barling, Arkansas, and Samuel Hughes, Fairborn, Ohio
-- While driving on Interstate 540 in Arkansas on Sept. 11, Taylor and Hughes
witnessed a van plunge into a ravine and roll over several times. Approaching
the van, the two men smelled gas and decided to pull the van's occupants, one
of whom was wheelchair-bound, from the vehicle. Inside the van, the men also
found a bag containing a large sum of money, which they returned to the
accident victims.
Michael Comeau, Huachuca, Arizona -- Driving in Missouri on Interstate 44
on Jan. 20, Comeau came across an accident in which a car crossed the median
and struck a tractor-trailer. He tended to the injured and helped extricate
the driver from the car.
Carl Tafua, San Jose, California -- While passing through Santa Clara on
Aug. 12, Tafua noticed an 8-year-old girl screaming at a man who was pursuing
her. The girl ran toward Tafua's truck, and, when she got in, she told him she
had been kidnapped. Tafua called his dispatcher, who contacted police, and
then he took down the license plate number of the fleeing suspect. The suspect
was later arrested for having kidnapped the girl two days earlier.
Kurt Smith, Clinton, Connecticut -- On March 20, Smith was pulled over on
Interstate 95 in North Carolina for a routine roadside inspection. During the
inspection, the officer received a call about an accident with injuries. Smith
informed the officer that he had emergency medical technician training. The
officer and Smith traveled together to the accident scene and administered aid
to the victims.
Mark Cirami, Orlando, Florida, and Jim Nadeau, Kissimmee, Florida -- On
Sept. 7, while traveling through Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the two driving
partners had stopped for an accident when their rig was struck from behind by
another vehicle. The other vehicle burst into flames. Cirami controlled the
fire with an extinguisher and pulled the driver from the vehicle while Nadeau
called for assistance.
David Zorn, Forest Park, Georgia -- Traveling through Norcross, Georgia,
on Nov. 21, 1999, Zorn witnessed an officer being attacked on the side of the
road. The suspect had pinned the officer and was trying to get his gun.
However, when Zorn stopped to assist, the suspect fled. Brandishing a large
flashlight, Zorn pursued the suspect, caught him and held him until police
arrived.
Craig Smith, Oakley, Idaho -- Driving on Interstate 84 in Utah on May 30,
Smith witnessed a car veer into the median. He found the driver sitting dazed
next to the car, which had caught on fire. Smith moved the driver to a safe
distance and helped extinguish the fire.
Brent J. Shupe, Charleston, Illinois, and H. Eugene Stuller, Franklin,
Illinois -- On June 30, a vehicle trying to avoid another accident struck
Shupe and Stuller's truck and caught on fire. They rescued two female
passengers from the burning car and turned their attention to the elderly
driver. While trying to free him, Shupe was thrown against a guardrail when
his truck's refrigerator unit exploded. By that time, the driver crawled out
of the car but seemed unable to move any farther. Shupe dragged him away from
the car, seconds before it exploded. Shupe suffered burns on his arm from the
first explosion.
Heath D. Martin, Kewanna, Indiana -- Late at night on June 26 in Roanoke,
Indiana, Martin drove upon a house fire. The empty old home that was on fire
was only several feet from an occupied new home. Martin pounded on the door of
the new home to warn the woman inside and then moved her car -- which was
precariously close to the fire. He subsequently hosed down the new home to
protect it from the blaze until firefighters arrived.
James Njau, Lowell, Massachusetts -- On March 25 in Vermont, Njau came
across a one-car accident. He and another motorist pulled the driver from the
burning vehicle and returned to rescue a passenger in the back seat. The
driver later died from her injuries.
Donald Strand, Jackson, Mississippi -- On Aug. 14, Strand witnessed an
accident between a flat-bed truck and a motor home. Strand retrieved a baby
from the motor home and tended to the victims until rescue workers arrived.
Rocky L. Martin, Columbus, Ohio -- On June 14, Martin was in Wisconsin
when he heard a call on the CB that a woman was trying to hang herself on a
bridge that lay ahead. As Martin approached the scene, the woman appeared to
change her mind about suicide, but then slipped and was dangling by her neck.
Martin pulled his trailer under the woman to support her, and some bystanders
climbed up to free her.
Patrick Smith, Broken Bow, Nebraska -- On July 11, Smith was refueling
near Gary, Indiana, when he heard a plea for a fire extinguisher. He saw
another truck on fire and rushed to help. While putting out the fire, he
realized someone was inside the truck. He broke the truck's window with a
hammer and, with the help of other drivers, pulled the trucker to safety.
Edward Bowlin, Black Mountain, North Carolina -- On Nov. 10, 1999, Bowlin
had parked his rig at a store parking lot when he saw a woman being
intentionally run down by a motorist. The motorist, the woman's estranged
husband, then jumped out of the car and began stabbing her in the chest.
Bowlin tackled the assailant and pinned him to the ground until police
arrived. The woman, the mother of two young children, survived the attack.
James O. Ryan, Maple Shade, New Jersey -- On Aug. 16 in Blackwood, New
Jersey, Ryan came across a bus on fire that was full of handicapped children.
He extinguished the fire; however, because the fire in the engine compartment
had cut the electricity in the bus, the passengers could not get out. Ryan
broke the glass on the door and forcibly opened it. He then carried each child
to another bus that had been summoned.
Mike Ballew, Tulsa, Oklahoma -- Traveling late at night on June 21 near
Calera, Oklahoma, Ballew saw an accident involving another truck. The truck's
fuel tank exploded, and the driver was still inside. Bystanders unsuccessfully
tried to pull the driver out. Ballew jumped in, and, on a third attempt, he
and other motorists freed the driver.
James Dickey, Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania -- On Nov. 24, 1999, Dickey
drove into dense fog on Interstate 77 in Ohio and narrowly missed a multi-
vehicle accident. Four of the vehicles had burst into flames. Dickey pulled
several motorists from their vehicles, including another truck driver. Then he
stopped traffic to prevent the pile-up from worsening.
Eugene Hawkins, Cleveland, Tennessee -- On May 15, Hawkins drove up to a
scene of a collision between a minivan and a car outside of Hartsville,
Tennessee. As he checked on the condition of the minivan's driver, he noticed
that the other vehicle was on fire and the driver remained unconscious inside.
With the assistance of a bystander, he pulled the driver to safety. Then he
called police on his cell phone.
Mike Johnson, Onalaska, Texas - Traveling on the Pennsylvania Turnpike on
Aug. 18, Johnson overheard a CB broadcast about a man who wasn't breathing.
Johnson arrived on the scene moments later and administered CPR. The man, who
had a heart condition, survived.