Victorville's Terry Whittington awarded 'Highway Angel' award for aiding fellow truckers
Truck driver Terry Whittington of Victorville is being heralded as a hero after he stopped to help a trucker who crashed into a ditch along a highway.
The Truckload Carriers Association recently awarded Whittington the title of “Highway Angel” for showing him exemplary courage and kindness to a fellow trucker in need.
This is the second time Whittington has received the honor.
The most recent recognition is for an early morning crash, in which Whittington intervened.
Around 2:30 a.m. March 11, Whittington, who drives for ABF Freight out of Fort Smith, Arkansas, was traveling on Interstate 40 in Amboy when he witnessed another semi-truck lose control.
“The guy almost ran into me,” Whittington said. “He was doing about 80, he kept going back and forth, and then he went off into the ditch — he never hit his breaks.”
Whittington pulled over to the side of the road, called 911, and went down in the ditch where the truck crashed and waited with him. He believes the driver fell asleep at the wheel.
“He was still half asleep after the whole ordeal,” he said about the trucker after the California Highway Patrol pulled him out of his truck, uninjured. “The truck and trailer were severely damaged — it was a violent crash.”
A truck driver for the past 25 years, Whittington said if he had not witnessed the crash, the site would have been hidden from passersby on the highway.
“If you crash, I’ll stop every time to help,” he said. “I’ve just always stopped.”
Helping those in need
In 2019, Whittington was named a “Highway Angel” by the Truckload Carriers Association for helping a fellow trucker who was struck by a passing vehicle while inspecting his truck.
Whittington was leaving Fontana on I-10 and heading back to Phoenix when he came across an accident scene. As he approached the area, he saw another tractor-trailer parked on the right shoulder and something lying on the ground.
After realizing that the object was a man lying in the roadway, Whittington pulled over and ran to the man. He called 911 as the driver cried out for help.
Whittington learned the man was a driver for Roehl Transport who had pulled over to check his equipment when he was struck by a U-Haul vehicle pulling a car.
The U-Haul had drifted toward the right shoulder when it struck the driver. The man’s legs were badly crushed and he was in shock and losing a lot of blood, association officials said.
Whittington said he stayed with the driver to comfort him until first responders arrived. He later learned that the driver died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.
“It was horrible,” Whittington said. “I just wanted to sit there and cry. I kept envisioning that poor man and how he was asking me to help him get up. All he did was pull over to check his equipment and now he’s dead. People need to pay more attention when they’re out there on the road.”
For more information, visit the Highway Angels website at truckload.org/high.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Victorville trucker Terry Whittington awarded 'Highway Angel' award
