A trucker was recently recognized for helping a fellow trucker at the scene of a horrific crash.
The Truckload Carriers Association has named professional driver Wade Dickinson of Nu-Way Transportation a Highway Angel for his quick thinking and heroic response following a serious crash in Clinton, Illinois.
TCA explains:
Around 3 a.m. on April 3, Dickinson was traveling along Indiana 10 near Clinton when he witnessed a truck suddenly appear through a tree line and begin to overturn.
“I saw a truck coming through the trees … and next thing I know, I see the truck start to flip over,” Dickinson said.
As the out-of-control vehicle came toward him, Dickinson had only seconds to react.
“I’ve got two options — I can’t go left, and I don’t want to put my truck into the ditch,” he said. “So I’ve got to go straight… thankfully, he did not hit me.”
Once clear of danger, Dickinson immediately pulled over and rushed toward the crash scene.
“I threw the truck on the shoulder, pulled the brake … I just jumped and took off running,” he said. “I had to run about a football field.”
Calling 911 as he approached, Dickinson quickly assessed the situation. He found the driver thrown into the sleeper berth, seriously injured and bleeding heavily.
“I saw him way back in the bunk… I didn’t know if the truck was going to catch on fire,” he said. “I just knew I had to get him out.”
Without hesitation, Dickinson climbed into the wreckage and pulled the driver to safety.
“I dove right in there without hesitating,” he said.
The driver had suffered a severe wrist injury and was losing a dangerous amount of blood.
“It was squirting blood all over the place,” Dickinson said. “I knew I had to cut the circulation off.”
Using items he had on hand, Dickinson improvised a tourniquet to stop the bleeding until first responders arrived.
“I grabbed what I could and twisted it until the bleeding stopped,” he said.
Dickinson remained on scene as the sole responder for several minutes until emergency personnel — including multiple police units, ambulances, and fire crews — arrived. Despite being relatively new to professional driving, Dickinson relied on instinct, composure, and a deep-rooted sense of responsibility to act.
“With everything going on in the world, we all bleed the same color,” Dickinson said. “Why not help when I can?”
Since the TCA Highway Angel program’s inception in 1997, nearly 1,500 professional truck drivers have been recognized as Highway Angels for exemplary kindness, courtesy, and courage displayed while on the job. Thanks to the program’s presenting sponsor, EpicVue, and supporting sponsors, DriverFacts and Northland Insurance, TCA is able to spotlight outstanding drivers like Dickinson.
