A driver with 29 years behind the wheel was recognized for stopping to aid an injured motorcyclist.
The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) recently named Capela Transport Inc. driver Harry Gough a TCA Highway Angel for his quick thinking and selfless actions following a serious motorcycle crash in Pennsylvania.
TCA explains:
Harry GoughOn the evening of June 13, Gough was returning to his company’s shop from a refinery when he noticed several vehicles stopped along Route 6 near Starbrick, Pennsylvania. As he approached, he saw a motorcycle rider down in the roadway after colliding with a deer.
After stopping to make sure help was on the way, Gough became concerned that passing motorists were not slowing down enough as they approached the scene.
“Traffic was not really slowing down,” Gough recalled. “There were people trying to direct traffic, but nobody had reflective clothing on. It was a recipe for another accident.”
Recognizing the danger, Gough drove a short distance ahead, turned his truck around, and positioned it to force approaching vehicles into the center turn lane, creating a protective barrier between traffic and the injured rider.
The motorcyclist remained protected until emergency responders, a towing company, and volunteer firefighters arrived on scene.
“The people behind him stopped, which was really cool,” Gough said. “They didn’t just keep going.”
When company officials learned of the incident through messages from the towing company and later from the rider himself, they were not surprised to discover who had stepped in to help.
“When our team heard about the incident from text messages from the towing company and ultimately the rider himself, we were not surprised when we researched and discovered which of our drivers had been so selfless,” said a representative from Capela Transport. “This is the type of human Harry is.”
For Gough, helping was simply the right thing to do.
“I’ve been driving for 29 years, and I learned from older drivers,” he said. “That’s like a code — you just don’t drive by.”
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 Gough.
Harry Gough
