The Truckload Carriers Association have named Jose Nunez of Homosassa, Fla., a Highway Angel for his actions in pulling a trapped passenger from a car wreck. Nunez has been a truck driver for 26 years and works for Taylor Truck Line of Northfield, Minn.

Nunez was traveling westbound on Interstate 10 near the Okaloosa-Santa Rosa county line in Florida when he saw a van that had just rolled over several times and came to rest upside down. Nunez pulled to the side of the road and rushed over to the accident scene.

One of the passengers had been thrown clear of the wreck and was lying face down, dead. Nunez focused his attention on the driver who was trapped in the vehicle with a gash on his head and several cuts. His leg appeared to be broken and was twisted in the crushed dashboard.

Nunez grabbed a crow bar from his truck and tried to pry the door open to no avail. He broke one of the windows to get to the driver, cut the seatbelt and crawled out of the vehicle with the injured man. By this time, a couple had pulled up to help. They assisted Nunez in carrying the man safely away from the van and one of them called 911.

The driver, who may have been intoxicated, was airlifted to a hospital and is expected to recover. An officer from the Florida Highway patrol later emailed Taylor Truck Line thanking Nunez for his assistance.

Nunez was a former captain in a volunteer fire department for 10 years and said that he had been in dangerous situations like this before.

“I’m always aware of my surroundings and everything that’s happening out there on the road,” said Nunez. “It’s instinct, I guess.”

For his actions, the TCA awarded Nunez a certificate, patch, lapel pin and truck decal. Taylor Truck Line also received a certificate acknowledging that one of its drivers was a Highway Angel.

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