Eddie LoflinA North Carolina-based truck driver has been named a Highway Angel by the Truckload Carriers Association for protecting an injured motorcyclist following a crash.
Eddie Loflin, a trucker for Epes Transport, was working his normal route heading to Sanford, North Carolina, from Lexington when he saw a motorcycle ahead entering the on-ramp and numerous cars and trucks maneuvering around him. As the biker began to merge, Loflin lost sight of him before seeing the biker thrown from his motorcycle and flung to the ground.
“It was chaotic and looked harsh,” Loflin said. “I remember thinking that he must be dead. Nobody else was stopping to help out at the time, and it was a miracle that no one ran him over.”
Loflin parked his truck behind the motorcycle so the rider wouldn’t get hit, grabbed a water bottle from his truck and sat down beside the injured man on the ground.
“I asked if he was OK and he said he was not. I told him my name and that I was calling 911 and getting help,” he said. “I told the man to be still because he could injure himself further if he moved too quickly, and luckily he stayed calm and obeyed.”
He stayed with the injured man, keeping him as comfortable as possible, until emergency personnel arrived. Loflin received a report later that the motorcyclist had several broken ribs, a broken arm and ankle, and a collapsed lung.
For his willingness to help, TCA presented Loflin with a certificate, patch, lapel pin and truck decals. Epes also received a certificate acknowledging their driver as a Highway Angel.
