TCA Highway Angels

March 2019

Challenger Motor Freight, Inc. Driver Named TCA Highway Angel for Assisting Motorist from Overturned Car

Alexandria, VA… Terry McKnight of Aylmer, Ontario a professional truck driver for Challenger Motor Freight, Inc. of Cambridge, Ontario has been named a Highway Angel by the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA). He is being recognized for assisting a motorist after a high-speed crash.

Rush hour traffic was starting to build on I-75 in Cincinnati that day in October and Terry McKnight, a dedicated run driver for Challenger Motor Freight, was on his way to Lebanon, Kentucky. He was in the middle lane of the three-lane road when he saw a car enter the highway at a high rate of speed—McKnight figures 70 mph—cut across the slow lane to the middle lane and then try to squeeze in between two cars in the fast lane.

“She didn’t give herself enough room to make the lane change,” McKnight said of the driver, “and hit the rear of the car in front of her, making it spin around. When it stopped, it was facing oncoming traffic.”

The collision caused the speeding vehicle to flip upside down and slide, on its roof, down the middle of the road. McKnight followed the driver, stopping behind where the overturned car came to rest, and positioned his truck to prevent other vehicles from hitting the car. McKnight rushed over to help the motorist as she was trying to crawl out of her badly-damaged car. He called 911 and stayed at the scene until police arrived and took his statement. One of the officers thanked McKnight for stopping to help—as it turned out he was the only one who stopped that day. From start to finish, he says he was there just 22 minutes.

“Everybody’s in a hurry,” said McKnight. “I was just in the right place at the right time. I made the decision to stop and block traffic from hitting her car. I didn’t want to see her get hurt. I would do it again if I had to.”

For his willingness to assist a fellow driver, TCA has presented Mr. McKnight with a certificate, patch, lapel pin, and truck decals. Challenger Motor Freight, Inc. has also received a certificate acknowledging their driver as a Highway Angel. Since the program’s inception in August 1997, hundreds of drivers have been recognized as Highway Angels for the exemplary kindness, courtesy, and courage they have displayed while on the job. EpicVue sponsors TCA’s Highway Angel program.

Jared Flach Retrieves Trapped Motorist from Burning Vehicle, Injured Second Motorist Near Scene of Accident

Alexandria, VA… Jared Flach of Theodore, Alabama, a professional truck driver for Groendyke Transport of Enid, Oklahoma, has been named a Highway Angel by the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA). He is being recognized for retrieving a trapped motorist from a burning car and assisting an unconscious motorist near scene of accident.

It happened at 2 a.m. on November 4 as Flach was heading east coming out of the weigh station in Pensacola, Florida with a full load. That’s when he saw it—a car on fire in the middle of Interstate 10. Other cars had pulled over onto the shoulder. Reacting quickly, Flach stopped his truck a safe distance from the scene, jumped out of the cab, and asked bystanders what had happened: An eastbound car had struck the rear of an 18-wheeler, spun around and was now facing oncoming traffic.

“People were afraid to approach the car because there was a fire underneath the hood and they were afraid of an explosion,” shared Flach.

However, he could see there was someone still in the car. He approached and found a male driver, conscious but in pain, trapped by the steering wheel which was jammed between the man’s ribs and belt. Flach knew he needed to buy some time to get the man out, so he ran back to his truck, grabbed his fire extinguisher and attacked the flames. Without a moment spare, another truck driver handed his fire extinguisher to Flach as soon as his ran empty. A man who had pulled his RV over to assist discharged his extinguisher as Flach went back to help the driver who now told him he could feel the heat at his feet but couldn’t move his legs.

The engine compartment was now on fire. Flach knew the motorist likely had broken ribs and legs but had to take action to get him out of the vehicle. Another driver helped Flach pull the man from the vehicle as flames broke through the firewall and began entering the cab at the man’s feet. They laid him on the grassy shoulder and then rushed back to the car to see if anyone else was inside. It was then that they discovered a woman lying outside the vehicle.

“We didn’t know if she got out on her own or if she’d been ejected,” Flach says. “She wasn’t very responsive.” The two men moved her a safe distance away from the burning car and waited for rescue vehicles to arrive.

Flach says this is not the first time he’s encountered this kind of situation: He used to be a fire fighter and EMT. Thanks to his training, arriving at the scene when he did and following his instincts to rush in and help when others were frozen with fear, Jared Flach likely saved two lives that day.

For his willingness to assist his fellow drivers, TCA has presented Flach with a certificate, patch, lapel pin, and truck decals. Groendyke Transport also received a certificate acknowledging their driver as a Highway Angel. Since the program’s inception in August 1997, hundreds of drivers have been recognized as Highway Angels for the exemplary kindness, courtesy, and courage they have displayed while on the job. EpicVue sponsors TCA’s Highway Angel program.

Professional Truck Driver Helps Saves Woman, Dog After Horrific Crash

Alexandria, Virginia: Brian Snell of Merrimack, New Hampshire, a professional truck driver for Pottle’s Transportation of Hermon, Maine, has been named a Highway Angel by the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA). He is being recognized for rescuing a trapped motorist from a crushed vehicle moments before the car caught ablaze and saving a dog who was trapped in second vehicle after owner succumbed to injuries.

On June 8, 2018, Brian Snell was driving along 495 in Westward, MA when he encountered a woman heading the wrong way on the freeway. Just as Brian realized what was happening, the woman in the oncoming car spun out directly in front of Brian’s truck. Brian quickly jumped to action. He came to a stop to block the road and protect the woman’s car because she did not have her lights on. He then went over and starting trying to resuscitate the woman who he noticed was unconscious.

“I was a paramedic for such a long time that it was second nature for me to start to work on her,” recalls Brian.

Just then, he felt that something wasn’t right. He noticed that her engine was on fire! Acting swiftly, Brian grabbed his fire extinguisher and began extinguishing the flames. He then heard someone yelling that they couldn’t get in to the vehicle, and that’s when Brian realized that the female motorist had hit another car head on before coming to a halt.

Brian ran over and checked the man’s pulse and vitals in the other vehicle, and sadly realized the man has succumbed to his injuries. “The car had crushed him,” recalls Brian. “So as hard as it was to leave his side, I ran back to the woman to continue working on her.”

For what felt like hours later, an ambulance and emergency personnel arrived. Brian helped remove the doors to the woman’s crushed car as she drifted into consciousness. The crew rushed her to the hospital as Brian went back to the deceased man’s car to discover there was a dog inside. “We got the dog to a vet and they were able to save and return the dog to the man’s family, which they were very happy about,” said Brian. He stayed at the accident scene to help extract the man from his vehicle and to load the crushed cars on a tow truck.

Brian later learned that the female motorist was heavily intoxicated and was charged with vehicular homicide. “It’s devastating to know she killed an innocent man,” he said. “But I also know she will unfortunately now have to pay for that the rest of her life.”

This isn’t the first time Brian has completed a heroic deed. Upon exiting the Marine Corps in 1992, he worked for many years as a paramedic and was a rescue worker on September 11, 2001 at Ground Zero. Unfortunately he lost a lung during those recoveries and could no longer serve in law enforcement. As he still had the urge to help others, Brian started a volunteer fire department as well as started his career in the trucking industry.

“I’m like a magnet to this kind of thing. I’ve probably stopped at eight different accidents since I helped save this woman last Summer, he shared. “It’s either a blessing or a curse that I’m around often for this kind of thing. Unfortunately the world is getting crazier out here, so I’m always alert and help when I’m needed. Never thought I needed an award or recognition for that,” said Brian, graciously.

For his willingness to assist a fellow citizen, TCA has presented Snell with a certificate, patch, lapel pin, and truck decals. Pottle’s Transportation also received a certificate acknowledging their driver as a Highway Angel.

EpicVue sponsors TCA’s Highway Angel program. Since the program’s inception in August 1997, hundreds of drivers have been recognized as Highway Angels for the exemplary kindness, courtesy, and courage they have displayed while on the job.