Patrick Fluegel Recognized as TCA Highway Angel for Rescuing Trapped Driver Following Rollover Crash
August 11th, 2026
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) has named Crosslin Trucking driver Patrick Fluegel a TCA Highway Angel for his courageous rescue of a fellow truck driver trapped inside an overturned dump truck following a serious crash on Interstate 65 in Tennessee.
The incident occurred around 9:30 a.m. on July 6, 2026, just south of the Interstate 840 interchange near Franklin, Tennessee.
Fluegel was returning to a lumber yard after making a delivery when he noticed two dump trucks traveling ahead of him.
“Right before I got to 840, the white one—something broke, or he blew a tire—and it just shot off onto the right into the embankment,” Fluegel recalled. “It basically landed on its side.”
His reaction was immediate.
“My first initial thought was, ‘Oh, crap,'” he said. “I got on the brakes, pulled over, and as I was setting the brakes, I was unbuckling and opening the door all at the same time.”
Fluegel sprinted to the wrecked truck and found the driver conscious but suspended by his seat belt inside the overturned cab.
“He was hanging there by the seat belt, but he couldn’t get his seat belt off,” Fluegel said.
Unable to reach the driver through the top of the truck, Fluegel made a split-second decision. He kicked out a window, climbed inside the overturned cab, lifted the driver to relieve pressure on the seat belt, released the buckle and helped pull him safely from the wreckage.
After helping the injured driver to another motorist’s vehicle so he could sit down, Fluegel remained on scene until the Tennessee Highway Patrol arrived.
Later that day, Fluegel learned the driver had survived but suffered multiple fractures to his pelvis and hip.
“It was my first instinct,” Fluegel said. “Somebody was going to have to stop, and I stopped that day.”
Since the TCA Highway Angel program’s inception in 1997, nearly 1,500 professional truck drivers have been recognized as Highway Angels for the exemplary kindness, courtesy, and courage they display while on the job. Thanks to the program’s presenting sponsor, EpicVue, and supporting sponsors, DriverFacts and Northland Insurance, TCA is able to spotlight outstanding drivers like Fluegel.
To learn more about the TCA Highway Angel program, visit: