Justin Rockcastle (Image Courtesy of TCA)Melton Truck Lines driver Justin Rockcastle, of Wittmann, Arizona, was driving through rain and hail May 23 along Interstate 70 near Thompson Springs, Utah, when he saw a white SUV coming up on his left side. The SUV began hydroplaning and hit Rockcastle’s drive tires, then bounced up and did a 180-degree turn before being thrown back into the center ditch median, where it rolled multiple times.
Rockcastle safely pulled his truck over and ran to the scene with his first-aid kit. Temperatures that day hovered around freezing and Rockcastle saw the vehicle occupants were dressed in shorts and t-shirts, and the doors of the SUV had been ripped off during impact. Rockcastle gave one of the passengers his coat, and another passenger used Rockcastle’s first-aid kit to treat a head wound that the SUV driver had received.
The SUV’s occupants were all minors on their way to California from Texas for a mission trip. Rockcastle noticed all of the SUV’s tires were bald.
“They should never have been on the road,” he said. “Safety is a major thing with me. There weren’t any adults along and those kids didn’t have enough experience. Prayers were definitely answered that day.”
Rockcastle is being recognized as a Highway Angel by the Truckload Carriers Association. TCA presented him with a certificate, patch, lapel pin, and truck decals.
