At approximately 10:30 a.m. on July 1, 2013, Swift driver David Kus was driving south on Interstate 95 in Baltimore, Maryland.
It was raining and the road was uneven due to repaving work.
Kus noticed a man in an SUV pass him and lose control of his vehicle on the wet and uneven road. The SUV slammed into the truck that was in front of Kus.
The SUV then spun around and collided several times with the trailer before coming to rest in the median.
Kus pulled off the road and turned on his flashers. He grabbed his fire extinguisher and ran to the SUV.
Kus said the driver appeared to be okay but that he was likely in shock. He helped the man out of his vehicle so that paramedics could attend to him.
After determining the man was physically okay, Kus turned his attention from the man and began describing the accident to an out-of-jurisdiction officer. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Kus noticed the crash victim stepping into traffic. Kus lunged forward and grabbed the man and pulled him away from the road.
“He was within a foot of being hit by a whizzing car,” said Kus, who is a volunteer firefighter and a former member of the U.S. Army National Guard. “He was just casually walking into a four-lane highway without a care in the world. I think he may have had a diabetic issue because he told me he hadn’t taken his medicine that morning.”
Kus then helped the man back into his vehicle and stayed with him until paramedics arrived.
For his efforts, Kus was presented with a Highway Angel lapel pin, certificate, and patch. Swift Transportation also received a certificate acknowledging that one of its drivers is a Highway Angel.
TCA’s Highway Angel program is sponsored by Internet Truckstop. Since the program’s inception in August 1997, hundreds of drivers have been recognized as Highway Angels for the unusual kindness, courtesy, and courage they have shown others while on the job.
To nominate a driver or learn more about the program and its honorees, visit the Highway Angel Web site at http://www.truckload.org/Highway-Angel or Facebook page at http://on.fb.me/tcanews. For any additional information, contact TCA at (703) 838-1950 or angel(at)truckload(dot)org.