For Immediate Release
November 17, 2003
Contact: Nancy O'Liddy, Director of Public Relations
703/838-1950 or noliddy@truckload.org
TCA Highway Angels
Lonnie Van Dyne and Eugene Gilbert Assist in Fatal Accident
Alexandria, VA, November 17, 2003 – The Truckload Carriers Association
(TCA) recently recognized Lonnie Van Dyne and Eugene Gilbert of Omaha, Nebraska
as a Highway Angels for the assistance they provided in a serious collision.
Van Dyne and Gilbert, drivers for Hunt Transportation,
Inc. (Omaha, NE), encountered the accident on Interstate
80 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. A Cadillac had hit a light
post, crossed both lanes of traffic and the median and then struck a Lincoln
Continental going the other way on the Interstate. As a volunteer firefighter
Van Dyne had experience with emergency situations and immediately went to the
cars to see if everyone was okay. Since the cars did not seem to pose any danger
to the occupants and Van Dyne knew the best thing to do in a situation like
this was not to move the occupants to keep them from getting
further injured, he returned
to his truck and called 911.
By the time Van Dyne finished the call and walked around
his truck to the wreckage a fire had started in the Lincoln.
Eugene Gilbert quickly responded to the impending
danger of the fire by freeing the passenger from the front seat of the car
and then climbing into the car through the flames to retrieve
the passenger in the
backseat. He said later that he was "working on adrenaline" and his
only thought was, "these people can't burn." As Gilbert freed
the passengers Van Dyne tended to them on the side of the road, keeping them
warm with his coat and reassuring them that help was on the way.
By the time it was all over the accident had claimed three
lives and closed all four lanes of I-80, backing up traffic
all the way into Nebraska. Van Dyne and
Gilbert spent five and half hours at the accident scene and said they would "stop
again in a minute." Sgt. Pat Toscano of the Council Bluffs Police Department
said, "Those guys deserve credit, this is one of the worst (accidents)
for a long time that caused such mayhem that I've seen and I've been
around a long time."
Gilbert spoke for both drivers when he said that he doesn't see himself
as a hero, "I don't have a big head about this," he said, "I
don't want to be a hero, I just want to go back to being a regular truck
driver." Perhaps the true mark of a hero is the humility displayed by Lonnie
Van Dyne and Eugene Gilbert after risking their lives for others.
To view archival copies of past Highway Angel press releases,
visit our website address at www.truckload.org/press03.htm.
To nominate a driver online, go to
www.truckload.org/angelform.htm. For more information on the program, contact
TCA at 703/838-1950 or via email at Angel@truckload.org.
TCA is the only national trade association whose collective
sole focus is the truckload segment of the motor carrier industry.
The association represents dry van, refrigerated, flatbed,
and intermodal container carriers operating in the 48 contiguous
states as well as Alaska, Mexico, and Canada. Representing operators of over 200,000 trucks, which collectively produce an annual revenue of over $20 billion, TCA is an organization tailored to specific truckload carrier needs.
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