London long-haul truck driver honoured for road heroism

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Joe Carroll, a long-haul truck driver from London, is familiar with “every bump, every pothole” on Interstate 75 heading back to Canada from Kentucky.

Twenty times a month, as he delivers robots or cleaning supplies, he passes that spot near Wapakoneta, Ohio, an hour south of Toledo, and is reminded of the Ohio truck driver he encountered in March in the worst conditions.

Additionally, Carol, 58, was named a “TCA Highway Angel” by the American Trucking Associations for her courageous work in rescuing truck drivers after crashes.

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“I still think about it because I’m surprised he wasn’t hurt. Really, really surprised,” he said Sunday.

He is one of 1,400 TCA Highway Angels selected since August 1997, an honor bestowed upon truck drivers who “display exemplary kindness, courtesy and courage on the job.”

Carol, a driver for Elgin Motor Freight, has been on the road for six years after working as a crane operator and construction supervisor. He found his passion in trucking and enjoyed the job so much that he purchased his own truck. “It was honestly the best decision I ever made.”

He travels 8,000 kilometres every two weeks, driving much of the time at night, delivering freight to Florence, Kentucky, then picking it up in Ohio the next day and transporting it back to Mississauga.

At about 4:30 a.m. on March 30, he headed north to Perrysburg, Ohio, where he typically unloads his empty trailer and rests for 10 hours before loading it up and heading back to Canada.

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He said he saw the taillights of another truck far ahead, close to the rest area. Suddenly, Carroll said he saw a flash of light. When he reached the rest area, he saw a truck that had crashed through a steel guardrail and was in the ditch. It was lying on its driver’s side.

The road was littered with gravel and debris. The lights on the truck were off, but Carroll said he didn’t see any smoke or flames.

“I slammed on the brakes,” Carroll said. He got out of the car and ran back to the scene of the accident. A woman who must have witnessed the crash pulled out her cell phone and called 911.

Carroll said he told the woman to stay at the top of the ditch, mobile phone in hand, while he ran down the three-meter cliff to help. The truck was attached to a dump trailer, pulling a heavy load of lime. The roof of the cab was flipped over.

“I don’t think it’s going to turn out well,” Carroll said.

But as he approached the truck, he yelled, “Driver, driver.”

“He yelled back, ‘I’m here,’ ” Carroll said.

The driver was under the roof. Carol pushed the car off him. All the contents of the bunk – mattress, tools and belongings – fell on him.

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“He was like lying in a chair, on his back,” Carroll said. The driver said, “Help me up.”

Carroll said he wouldn’t do that until he checked the driver for injuries. Aside from being wet from the ice in the cooler, “he was actually fine. I helped him to the top of the ditch.”

The driver asked only for his wallet, cell phone and cigarettes. Carroll said he stayed at the scene for an hour and 45 minutes until police arrived and a tow truck pulled the wreckage out of the ditch.

The driver, who was from Ohio, was a bit disoriented a few minutes after the accident and didn’t remember what happened but thought he passed out before hitting the guardrail. He didn’t want any medical attention, but a friend showed up and assured Carol that they would take the driver to see a doctor.

The driver asked Carol to take some photos of the wreckage.

Carroll went to Mississauga, where his safety manager reviewed the truck’s electronic logs and asked Carroll why an emergency brake or sharp turn was recorded. Carroll explained what happened and they reviewed his dashboard camera footage.

He and the driver have been texting each other since then, and in the last text the driver said he was undergoing physical therapy.

“He thanked me, which was awesome, but I wish someone would do the same for me,” Carroll said. “I just can’t get over someone who’s been in an accident.”

jsims@postmedia.com

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