Dave Begley, of Elkhart, Indiana, a professional truck driver for Bennett International Group of McDonough, Georgia, has been named a Highway Angel by the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA). He is being recognized for assisting a fellow truck driver who had crashed into a wooded area.

On July 12, 2016, Begley was driving west on I-80 near the 51 mile marker at about 1:30 p.m. in Clarion, Indiana, when he heard over the CB that a truck had been in an accident further up the highway. Drivers on the road reported seeing the truck plow off the road into the woods.

When Begley arrived on the scene, he pulled over, grabbed his fire extinguisher, and raced to the truck where three other drivers were already trying to help the trapped driver. Acting quickly, he was able to help remove the driver from the truck. The cab was so mangled, they rescue drivers had to cut the man free and pull him from the passenger side of the cab. The men carefully helped the injured driver walk from the cab to the shoulder of the road where they administered first aid with supplies provided by a volunteer first responder. Begley and the other drivers cleaned the driver’s cuts and scrapes.

When the ambulance arrived, he helped the driver into a neck brace, lifted him onto a board, and then into the ambulance. The injured driver was talking and said that he could not remember how he got from the cab to the shoulder. The EMTs decided that the injured driver needed to be taken to a location where he could be airlifted to a Pittsburgh medical facility about 60 miles away. Sadly, the driver died the next morning from internal injuries.

For his willingness to assist his fellow driver, TCA has presented Begley with a certificate, patches, lapel pin, and truck decals. Bennett International Group also received a certificate acknowledging Dave Begley as a Highway Angel.