STUART HOCHFELDER NAMED TCA HIGHWAY ANGEL FOR ASSISTING A FELLOW DRIVER

12/09/2010
Alexandria, Virginia

The Truckload Carriers Association has named Stuart Hochfelder, a professional truck driver for ABF Freight System, Inc., of Sauk Village, Illinois, as a Highway Angel for helping a fellow driver through a medical emergency.

It was November 5, 2010, around dinner time. Hochfelder was checking into his Kansas City hotel to begin his mandatory rest period when a fellow ABF driver, Charles Binford, called the front desk, stating he didn’t feel good. Overhearing the conversation, Hochfelder asked for more information and discovered that Binford had a burning sensation in his chest and shortness of breath.

Hochfelder, who was one of the first 100 EMT-Paramedics to be certified in the state of Illinois during the mid-1970s, immediately recognized the signs of a heart attack. He convinced Binford to get dressed and kept him calm while accompanying him to the hospital, where it was indeed confirmed that Binford had experienced a mild heart attack.

“Once you have the knowledge, you have the knowledge,” said Hochfelder, who no longer maintains his EMT-Paramedic certification. “You continue to live up to the oath, whether you’re practicing or not.”

Since the program’s inception in August 1997, hundreds of drivers have been recognized as Highway Angels for the exemplary kindness, courtesy, and courage they have displayed while on the job.