Highway Angel Honored for Helping Woman with Diabetes

The Truckload Carriers Associationnamed Jonathan W. Bennett, a professional truck driver for Walden Haulers Group Inc., Harriman, Tenn., its latest Highway Angel.

In the late morning of November 9, 2011, Bennett was traveling on I-40 eastbound through the gorge between North Carolina and Tennessee. All the lanes were closed down while authorities cleared snow and rocks that had slid down the mountain onto the roadway.

While he waited in his truck, a woman got out of her car and approached several drivers in front of him. She seemed frantic about something. She soon came to Bennett and asked if he had candy, food or anything to drink. Bennett said she could have an orange juice from his cooler. The woman explained that her sister, who was traveling with her, was a diabetic and had been without food for too long. Her glucose level was very low, and she was about to slip into a diabetic coma.

Bennett told the woman that he is a licensed emergency medical technician and asked for permission to examine the sister. After getting her to drink the orange juice and checking her vital signs, he determined that the sister did not need medical treatment. She eventually returned to normal, so Bennett recommended that they stop for food within the hour and described which exits had restaurants. Before leaving, he provided the women with another orange juice in case of emergency.

"They offered me money, but I didn't take it," Bennett says. "I told them, 'I took an oath in school to help all people in need and do no harm. By sheer coincidence, I was able to do this for you.'"

For his efforts that day, Bennett has received a Highway Angel lapel pin, certificate, and patch. Walden Haulers Group also received a certificate acknowledging that one of its drivers is a Highway Angel.

Since its inception in August 1997, the Highway Angels program has recognized hundreds of drivers for the kindness, courtesy, and courage they have shown others while on the job.