An Indian trucker is the lates driver to be recognized for their highway heroics.
The Truckload Carriers Association re ently named Phil Damme, from Evansville, Indiana, a driver with Online Transport, as its newest TCA Highway Angel for his actions at the scene of a serious crash on Interstate 68 in Maryland.
TCA explains:
Phil DammeOn the night of October 5, at approximately 10:51 p.m., Damme was driving through the mountain passes near Ellicott City when he noticed a strange flicker of headlights, followed by sparks illuminating the roadway ahead. Realizing something was wrong, he immediately slowed down and approached the scene, discovering an overturned semi-truck blocking the road.
“He actually turned the whole thing over,” he said, referring to the driver of the crashed truck. “He ended up in the median.”
Damme was the second person to arrive, alongside another motorist who had narrowly avoided the crash. Assessing the danger, he quickly helped remove the truck’s shattered windshield to reach the injured driver trapped inside.
Seeing that the man was bleeding heavily from his arm, Damme used his own belt as a tourniquet, stemming the bleeding and likely saving the driver’s life before emergency personnel arrived.
“He was bleeding pretty bad,” said Damme. “I put my belt up above his elbow and tightened it really really tight to slow down the bleeding.”
His calm, decisive response turned a chaotic and frightening situation into a coordinated rescue effort. Following the incident, Damme was personally thanked for his bravery. Known among his colleagues for his strong faith, he humbly credits “being in the right place at the right time” as divine guidance.
Since the TCA Highway Angel program’s inception in August 1997, nearly 1,500 professional truck drivers have been recognized as TCA Highway Angels for exemplary kindness, courtesy, and courage displayed while on the job. Thanks to the program’s presenting sponsor, EpicVue, and supporting sponsors, DriverFacts and Northland Insurance, TCA is able to showcase outstanding drivers like Damme.
Phil Damme
