Carl Debehnke (Photo: TCA)Carl Debehnke, a truck driver out of Newport, N.C., for Best Dedicated out of Kernersville, N.C., has been named a Highway Angel by the Truckload Carriers Association for helping an elderly man who was involved in a rollover accident.
Debehnke was driving westbound on I-74 near Greensburg, Ind., on Aug. 3 when he witnessed a van heading eastbound cross the median and flip over. He got his truck stopped on the side of the road and ran over to check on the occupants of the van, where he found an elderly man, lying on his stomach, still strapped in his seat belt.
Debehnke crawled into the van through the sliding door on the passenger side, checked the driver’s vitals and loosened the seat belt to relieve the pressure on the man’s shoulder. “I kept talking to him to keep him awake and alert until help arrived.” Debehnke said.
Debehnke has been driving for 28 years and makes a habit of stopping at accidents when he can. “I have stopped at lots of accidents over the years. I learned first aid in the military so I try to help when I can,” he said.
TCA presented Debehnke with a certificate, patch, lapel pin and truck decal, and Best Dedicated received a certificate acknowledging their driver as a Highway Angel.
