A trucker’s life was saved thanks to the help of three teenagers and some shiny metal in Illinois on Sunday.
The incident occurred on January 3rd in Arcola, Illinois.
According to WCIA News, the three boys were traveling along Route 130 when they noticed their headlights reflect off of something off in the darkness.
“I immediately yelled to Blaze ‘pull over,’” said Daniel Upton, one of the teenagers in the car.
“I had all my lights on, and it was still hard to see through the fog,” added Blaze Rich, who was driving at the time.
“I saw that the front axle had been taken out from in front of it from the wreck,” Upton said.
“My first thought was I need to make sure this guy’s okay because being in the military, my first instinct is check of everyone’s okay,” said Rayden Gavis, who was in a second car.
The three boys immediately called police and went on to check on the driver, who wasn’t in good shape.
“Once we smelled diesel, I knew we should probably get him of the truck, because if it engulfs, he’s just gonna catch on fire,” said Gavis.
“When I opened the door, his head was against the steering wheel, and I pushed him back into his seat. He was… he was conscious, but he wasn’t making any sense when he was speaking,” Upton explained.
“We stayed there until the ambulances, the fire department, and the police got there,” Rich continued, adding that the three made sure the driver stayed awake and warm inside of their car until officials arrived.
The unnamed trucker was then transported to a nearby hospital in serious condition.“He could’ve been there for hours. The truck was full black, so it would’ve been hard to see even in normal weather conditions,” said Upton.
“It was insanely foggy. If he didn’t see the reflection… there were several cars that just drove right past it,” explained Gavis, “and we wouldn’t have seen it either because if we didn’t see the reflection, we could’ve just drove by and who knows how long he could’ve been there.”
The driver’s current condition is not known, but he has been cited for DUI and improper lane usage.