The Truckload Carriers Association has named the team operation of Laurent Pennacchio and Olegas Milevskis as its latest Highway Angels. Pennacchio and Milevskis, both of Regina, Saskatchewan, drive for the Yanke Group of Companies in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The men helped a family involved in an unusual accident: A moose collided with their car.
In the early morning hours of June 29, 2012, Pennacchio was driving on Highway 17 in northern Ontario while Milevskis slept. Pennacchio pulled the truck over upon seeing a vehicle on the side of the road with a woman and two children standing nearby. He woke his partner, and the men gathered safety jackets and flashlights and approached the scene. The moose in question was lying a couple of yards away on the ground. The father, who had been driving, was still inside the vehicle, seemingly injured and unmoving. The family’s unfamiliarity with the remote area made it difficult to call for help. Pennacchio provided details that emergency personnel needed to find the family. The team then stayed with the family, taking the kids into their warm truck, until the accident site was secured by police.
A constable of the Ontario Provincial Police wrote to the team’s company, praising them. “In this isolated section of highway—and certainly after dark—few people are willing to assist people in need,” he said.
For more information, visit the TCA Highway Angel site.
