​Professional Truck Driver Aids Fellow Driver During a Heart Attack - Mark McConachie Named TCA Highway Angel for Performing CPR

ALEXANDRIA, VA… Mark McConachie, of Sparta, Illinois, a professional truck driver for Maverick Transportation of North Little Rock, Arkansas, has been named a Highway Angel by the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA). He is being recognized for administering CPR to another professional driver who was suffering from a heart attack.

McConachie is in his sixth year as a professional truck driver after working many years in the HVAC industry. When asked about performing CPR, McConachie said, "I was taught to never stop until a professional gets there, and I will do whatever I need to do when someone is in distress."

On March 3, 2016, just after lunch, McConachie was waiting on his load at the Atlas Tube in Chicago, Illinois, making small talk with another driver. A few minutes later he noticed that the driver he had been talking to leaned against a steal beam.

"I asked him if he was okay several times, but he didn't respond back," says McConachie. The driver then fell backwards and McConachie told an Atlas Tube employee to call 911. He rushed to the driver's side and noticed his chest was immobile and his eyes rolled back in his head. McConachie began performing CPR, which he learned years ago while in basic training for the Army. He continued performing CPR along with an Atlas Tube employee until EMS arrived. When the ambulance pulled away from Atlas Tube, the driver was still breathing, but unfortunately, McConachie found out later that the driver had passed away at the hospital.

For his willingness to assist his fellow driver, TCA has presented McConachie with a certificate, patch, lapel pin, and truck decals. Maverick Transportation also received a certificate acknowledging Mark McConachie as a Highway Angel.