A trucker’s efforts at the. scene of a serious accident have led to him being honored by a nationwide trucking organization.
The Truckload Carriers Association recently named Chris Wetzel, a professional driver with Anderson Trucking Service, a TCA Highway Angel for his swift actions and assistance following a serious crash involving a law enforcement officer in Missouri.
TCA explains:
Chris WetzelOn April 1, at approximately 6 p.m., Wetzel was traveling southbound on Interstate 49 near mile marker 130 in Joplin, when a deputy responding to an emergency call with lights and sirens collided at high speed with the trailer of a semi-truck directly ahead of him.
Wetzel said he does not consider his response unusual and believes he simply did what anyone would do in that situation.
“It was intense. We knew we had to act fast,” said Wetzel.
Recognizing the severity of the crash, Wetzel immediately stopped and rushed to assist. Working alongside others at the scene, he helped extract the injured deputy from the vehicle and stayed focused on getting help to the officer as quickly as possible.
“We were able to get him out and call for help right away,” said Wetzel.
Demonstrating quick thinking under pressure, Wetzel also used the officer’s radio to issue a 10-33 emergency call, alerting dispatch to an officer-down situation and providing their exact location.
Emergency responders arrived shortly after, and the deputy was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital, where he was reported to be in stable condition. Wetzel remained on scene to assist as needed following the incident.
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 Wetzel.
Chris Wetzel
