London, Ont. truck driver named 'TCA Highway Angel' for rescuing trapped trucker

An undated image of Joseph Carroll. (Source: The Truckload Carriers Association)

The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) says London, Ont.’s Joseph Carroll rescued a trucker in Ohio after his vehicle crashed and he had been trapped beneath debris. Because of this heroic act, Carroll, who drives for Elgin Motor Freight, has been named a ‘TCA Highway Angel.’

Around 5 a.m. March 29, Carroll was heading north on I-75 near Wapakoneta, Ohio. TCA says that’s when a tractor-trailer hauling lime in front of him lost control. They said the truck driver blacked out, causing the vehicle to hit the guardrail before a bridge, strike the bridge itself, and then crash through the guardrail into a 12-foot ditch.

“In just a matter of seconds there was gravel all over the highway,” Carroll told TCA. “The transport truck was lying on its side, the lights were dim and there was no roof on the truck.”

As Carroll was descending into the ditch to help, a woman stopped to call 911.

Down in the embankment, he called out, asking if the driver was okay, and Carroll said the driver responded, “I’m over here.” The crash had torn off the truck’s roof, leaving the driver trapped outside the cab and beneath the debris.

Carroll managed to push the heavy roof off the driver, who was covered with the scattered contents from inside the truck. The driver was unhurt, though visibly shaken and confused by the traumatic event.

Since the TCA Highway Angels program’s inception in August 1997, nearly 1,400 professional truck drivers have been recognized as Highway Angels for exemplary kindness, courtesy, and courage displayed while on the job.

More information about the program can be found by following this link.