TCA Highway Angel Larry Watson Aids Accident
Victim With Care and Comfort
Alexandria, VA, January 20, 2004 – The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA)
recently recognized Larry Watson of Upatoi, Georgia, as a Highway Angel for the
critical assistance he provided an accident victim.
Watson, a driver for Heartland Express was traveling
down Highway 133 between Albany, GA and Moultrie, GA
on December 19, 2003 when he noticed a young woman
in an SUV next to him at a red light. As the light changed and the two vehicles
continued down the road he saw the SUV veer off the road in front of him and
noticed the car’s headlights in the trees on the side of the highway.
Watson immediately pulled his truck over on the two-lane
road and ran down the ditch. He found the SUV upside
down and facing the wrong way and the driver,
injured and partially out of the vehicle. Watson ran to his car and grabbed
the
blanket off his bed, he returned to the scene and removed the woman from
the vehicle since it was smoking. He wrapped the victim
in his comforter and tied
his shirt around her head to stop her bleeding. Watson explained that while
they were waiting for an ambulance he laid her in his arms and “talked to her
about school, her part time job, and her boyfriend to try to keep her from going
into shock.”
When rescue workers arrived Watson left the scene
so he would not be in the way. A couple days later
he received a call from the woman’s father thanking
him for stopping to stay with and comfort her. Watson stayed in touch with the
victim’s family and has stopped by their house for dinner when hauling
a load through the area.
When asked about his highway heroism, Watson said, “I don’t feel
like I did anything special. Another human being needed some help. I didn’t
think about it, didn’t care. I have a wife and children and would hope
somebody would do the same for them.” He explained that he did not want “to
be put on a pedestal” for his actions. Larry Watson makes it a habit to
stop whenever he sees people needing help on the road, maybe that’s why
for him providing care and comfort to fellow travelers has become commonplace.
To view archival copies of past Highway Angel press
releases, visit our website address at www.truckload.org/pressroom/.
To nominate a driver online, go
to www.truckload.org//highwayangels/nominate.asp. For more information on the program,
contact
TCA at 703/838-1950 or via email at Angel@truckload.org. 
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