Highway Angels

Driver pulls injured man from burning truck

The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) honored professional truck driver William “Bill” Sydenstricker as a Highway Angel for helping an elderly man involved in an accident.
     On July 21, 2009, Sydenstricker was driving westbound on I-40 near mile marker 29 in Arkansas, when he saw the pickup truck in front of him hydroplane in the rain, lose control, veer off the road, hit a tree and spin around. He stopped to help and saw that the driver was an elderly man who had been seriously injured from the impact of his body colliding with the steering wheel. The man could not walk and needed assistance out of his vehicle.
     Just then, the pickup truck caught on fire. Sydenstricker and another motorist helped the victim to safety, and then Sydenstricker raced back to the pickup to rescue the man’s cell phone and other important personal items before it became engulfed in flames.
     A driver for John Christner Trucking of Sapulpa, OK, Sydenstricker received a Highway Angel lapel pin, certificate and patch for his efforts. John Christner Trucking also received a certificate acknowledging that one of its drivers is a Highway Angel.
     In other news, one of the TCA’s Highway Angels was set to be honored at the Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl, a post-season, NCAA-sanctioned Division I FBS college football bowl game, on Dec. 30, 2009, at Boise State University’s Bronco Stadium in Boise, ID. The honoree had not been named as of press time.         
     To determine the honored Angel, TCA staff examined all Angel nominations that were awarded in 2009 and culled the entries down to a list of four finalists with the most heroic stories. The Angel selected was scheduled to be crowned “2009 Highway Angel of the Year” in front of the 30,000-person audience and millions of viewers watching from home on ESPN.