Kansas police are calling a semi truck driver a hero after he went above and beyond to save the life of another driver suffering from a life-threatening medical emergency at a truck stop.
The rescue happened in the early morning hours of Monday, February 11, at the Love’s truck stop in Ottawa, Kansas, according to a report from the Ottawa Police Department.
Police say that a California-based truck driver was traveling on I-35 when a PICC line (a catheter that is placed inside a large vein for medical procedures) inserted in his arm came loose while he was behind the wheel, causing serious bleeding. The truck driver managed to safely drive approximately 30 miles to the Love’s in Ottawa while holding his arm to control the bleeding.
After arriving at the truck stop, the truck driver fled into the Love’s restroom where he tried to control the bleeding.
It was around 3 a.m. that Bones Transportation truck driver Robert Thurlow walked into the restroom and found the bleeding truck driver.
Thurlow told Fox 4 KC that “It happened so quickly. There was literally enough time for him to essentially open the door and voice the words, ‘I’m bleeding to death.'”
Thurlow, assisted by a Love’s employee with some medical training, grabbed a tarp strap from the store shelf along with a shirt and put together a makeshift tourniquet to stop the bleeding while the employee called 911.
First responders arrived on the scene and transported the truck driver to the hospital. He is expected to be okay.
The Ottawa Police Department issued a statement thanking the truck driver and truck stop worker for their quick thinking to help save the life of the other driver:
We can attest that citizens from our community saved the life of a man tonight. Our citizens did not care this man was from California. They did not care he was a stranger. They saw a person in need. They jumped in and SAVED HIS LIFE.
After being called a hero, Thurlow said, “I would hope, in all honesty, anybody would do it for me.”
For more on the rescue, take a look at the report below.