A Texas trucker was recently recognized for helping another driver who was having health issues.
The Truckload Carriers Association named professional truck driver Shawna Lewis, from Gun Barrel City, Texas, a Highway Angel for stopping to care for a fellow truck driver experiencing a medical emergency while driving. Lewis drives for Artur Express in Hazelwood, Missouri.
TCA explains:
On May 8, at 3:30 p.m., Lewis was driving on Interstate 20 in Ruston, Louisiana. Just then, she heard via the CB radio that another truck driver had stopped suddenly in the middle of the highway up ahead, and truck drivers were suggesting there was a medical emergency.
Lewis is no stranger to stopping to help those in need – throughout her three-year trucking career, she has used her medical training to help two motorists in distress.
Without a moment to spare, Lewis safely pulled over, hopped out of her cab, and went to assist the fellow truck driver. “It didn’t appear to me to be a seizure,” she said. “He had a strong pulse; CPR didn’t appear to be necessary.”
Shawna recalled that the driver wasn’t able to speak and was sweating profusely. She called 911, kept the man still, talked to him, and tried to find out his name. She wanted to comfort him in what had to be a frightening experience.
“The only thing I knew to do was check his vitals and look for medication,” she said. emergency personnel arrived within 10 minutes and Lewis left the scene, never knowing the real issue or the status of the driver.
She said her father was a trucker, her son is a trucker, and she said it was a childhood dream for her to also become a trucker. Stopping to help someone in need comes naturally to her, she added. “Sometimes we even put ourselves in a dangerous situation,” said Lewis. “It’s just what you do.”
TCA presented her with a certificate, patches, lapel pin, and truck decals. The company has also received a letter acknowledging her 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.
