Trucker Named TCA Highway Angel for Rescuing Seriously Injured Trucker After Devastating Crash

09/27/2023
Alexandria, Virginia

ALEXANDRIA, VA—The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) has named truck driver Jesse Felton of Bertramb, MO, a TCA Highway Angel for stopping to help two truckers after a horrific crash. Felton drives for Buchheit Logistics out of Jackson, MO.

It’s an incredible story: On February 22, 2023, at approximately 2:55 p.m., on southbound Interstate 55, at the 93.2 mile-marker located in Cape Girardeau County, MO, a crash took place involving two commercial motor vehicles. A red commercial motor vehicle traveling northbound lost control and crossed the median, striking a white commercial motor vehicle traveling southbound.

As a result of the impact, both vehicles received an enormous amount of damage. On his way home from work, Felton was traveling southbound in the passing lane and was the first on-scene after the crash. He exited his vehicle, raced through large amounts of diesel fuel on the roadway, through the debris of two commercial motor vehicles, and checked on the drivers.

“It was bad, because both trucks—neither cab was really attached to the truck anymore,” Felton said.

First, Felton went to the red northbound vehicle and realized the driver was okay when the driver gave him the ‘thumbs up’ sign. Then, Felton went to the white southbound vehicle.

“The driver of that truck was hanging out of the side of the cab because the door was gone,” he said. “He was bleeding really bad; his arm was split open by his elbow and he was losing a lot of blood.”

He retrieved a lace from one of the boots he was wearing, grabbed a pencil, and made a makeshift tourniquet around the driver’s left arm. Felton placed the tourniquet several inches above the wound and began applying turns to the pen until the bleeding started to slow down and finally stopped. Then he noticed the driver was being choked by the shoulder strap of the seatbelt that was wrapped around his neck. Felton immediately used his knife to cut the upper shoulder strap of the seatbelt, which freed the driver and allowed him to start breathing. Eventually, first responders arrived. Because he sustained such significant injuries, the driver was transported to a Cape Girardeau hospital and finally airlifted to a St. Louis hospital,

“I would hope anybody that could would do it for me,” Felton said.

Since the TCA Highway Angels program’s inception in August 1997, nearly 1,300 professional truck drivers have been recognized as Highway Angels for exemplary kindness, courtesy, and courage displayed while on the job. Thanks to the program’s presenting sponsor, EpicVue, and supporting sponsor, DriverFacts, TCA is able to showcase outstanding drivers like Felton.