Mark McConachie Photo via TCA

Mark McConachie Photo via TCA

The Truckload Carriers Association has named truck driver Mark McConachie of Sparta, Ill., a Highway Angel for attempting to save another driver’s life by using CPR while on the job.

On March 3, 2016, McConachie was waiting on his load at Atlas Tube in Chicago when he noticed that a driver he had been talking to was leaning against a steel beam. He asked the man several times if he was ok, but received no response.

The driver then fell backward and McConachie asked an Atlas Tube employee to call 911. He rushed to the man’s side and noticed that his chest wasn’t moving and his eyes were rolled back into his head. McConachie began administering CPR to the man, having learned it in U.S. Army. He kept on performing CPR until emergency personnel arrived.

“I was taught to never stop until a professional gets there, and I will do whatever I need to do when someone is in distress,” said McConachie.

While the man was breathing when the ambulance left Atlas Tube, McConachie found out later that the driver passed away at the hospital.

For his efforts to save his fellow driver’s life, McConachie was presented with a Highway Angel certificate, patch, lapel pin and truck decals by TCA. His employer, Maverick Transportation, also received a certificate acknowledging McConachie as a Highway Angel.

The Highway Angel program was started in 1997. SInce then, hundreds of drivers have been recognized for unusual acts of kindness, courtesy, and courage they have shown others while on the job.

For more information on the Highway Angel program click here.

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