HIRSCHBACH MOTOR LINES DRIVER EARNS HIGHWAY ANGEL WINGS FOR FREEING COUPLE FROM OVERTURNED VEHICLE

04/9/2021
Alexandria, Virginia                

The Truckload Carriers Association has named professional truck driver, Nick Still, a driver with Hirschbach Motor Lines, a Highway Angel for aiding a couple after their vehicle spun out and overturned on an icy road.   

Still was driving along Hwy 34 near Galesburg, Illinois late one morning in February. It was sleeting and snowing and the roads were slick so he was leaving some distance between himself and the pickup truck ahead of him. “Just as we were approaching an overpass, I watched him spin out,” he shared with TCA. “They spun around and rolled. A big cloud of powdery snow went up and when it settled they were laying on the passenger side in the ditch,” he recalled. The driver wasn’t driving erratically, but simply hit a patch of black ice under a thin layer of snow.   

“I pulled to the side, threw on my hazards, and called 911,” said Still. He then ran over to the overturned vehicle as the driver was climbing out of the driver’s door. “I gave him a hand and then helped lift his wife out.” Still says the pair appeared to be in their 50s and were fortunate to walk away without any major injuries. “She may have injured her arm because the vehicle landed on the passenger side,” he said.  

“It all happened so fast that I didn’t even catch their names. I was just trying to make sure they were okay,” he recalled. Still waited until police and EMTs arrived. He learned the couple later called his employer to thank him for helping them that day. He has been driving with Hirschbach Motor Lines for three years. He is also a Certified Trucker Against Trafficking. Although he hasn’t yet encountered a situation, he is always on the lookout for those out on the road who may need help.  

TCA has presented him with a certificate, patch, lapel pin, and truck decals. His employer has also received a certificate acknowledging their driver as a Highway Angel.

Since the program’s inception in August 1997, nearly 1,300 professional truck drivers have been recognized as Highway Angels for the exemplary kindness, courtesy, and courage they have displayed while on the job.

The program is made possible by Presenting Sponsor, EpicVue, and Supporting Sponsor, DriverFacts.