TCA HIGHWAY ANGEL LARRY WATSON AIDS ACCIDENT VICTIM WITH CARE AND COMFORT

01/20/2004
Alexandria, Virginia

The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) recently recognized Larry Watson of Upatoi, Georgia, as a Highway Angel for the critical assistance he provided an accident victim.

Watson, a driver for Heartland Express, Inc. was traveling down Highway 133 between Albany, Georgia and Moultrie, Georgia on December 19, 2003 when he noticed a young woman in an SUV next to him at a red light. As the light changed and the two vehicles continued down the road he saw the SUV veer off the road in front of him and noticed the car’s headlights in the trees on the side of the highway.

Watson immediately pulled his truck over on the two-lane road and ran down the ditch. He found the SUV upside down and facing the wrong way and the driver, injured and partially out of the vehicle. Watson ran to his car and grabbed the blanket off his bed, he returned to the scene and removed the woman from the vehicle since it was smoking. He wrapped the victim in his comforter and tied his shirt around her head to stop her bleeding. Watson explained that while they were waiting for an ambulance he laid her in his arms and “talked to her about school, her part time job, and her boyfriend to try to keep her from going into shock.”

When rescue workers arrived Watson left the scene so he would not be in the way. A couple days later he received a call from the woman’s father thanking him for stopping to stay with and comfort her. Watson stayed in touch with the victim’s family and has stopped by their house for dinner when hauling a load through the area.

When asked about his highway heroism, Watson said, “I don’t feel like I did anything special. Another human being needed some help. I didn’t think about it, didn’t care. I have a wife and children and would hope somebody would do the same for them.” He explained that he did not want “to be put on a pedestal” for his actions. Larry Watson makes it a habit to stop whenever he sees people needing help on the road, maybe that’s why for him providing care and comfort to fellow travelers has become commonplace.

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.