Peter Pearce, a truck driver for Flying J Inc., of Ogden, Utah, has been named a Highway Angel by the Truckload Carriers Association for pulling an accident victim from her overturned car.
On Feb. 9, Pearce was driving in Alberta, Canada, when a pickup truck passed him, slipped on a patch of black ice and went off the road and landed upside down in a field.
While another driver called emergency personnel, Pearce pushed through thigh-high snow to reach the pickup. The driver was in a state of panic, screaming for help.
Since both doors were too damaged to open, Pearce asked the woman to cover her face while he broke a window. He then turned off the ignition and extracted the driver. He covered her with a blanket and stopped blood flow from a large gash on her head. They waited until paramedics arrived at the scene.
When told he was being honored as a Highway Angel, Pearce – who has aided other motorists in the past – said, “It’s just a part of truck driving – the unseen part.”
For the kindness he showed that day, Pearce will receive a Highway Angel lapel pin, certificate, and patch. Flying J will also receive a certificate acknowledging that one of its drivers is a Highway Angel.
