Canadian Trucker Helps Fellow Jackknifed Drivers

Taljinder Sohi,  a truck driver for Bison Transport of Manitoba, Canada, was named a Highway Angel by the Truckload Carriers Association for helping out a fellow driver whose tractor-trailer jackknifed on the highway.

In May 2016, Sohi left brake check and headed down Highway 5, north of Merritt, British Columbia. A few minutes down the highway, Sohi witnessed a tractor-trailer lose control while going around a slight corner. The truck swerved into the northbound lane and then wrenched back toward the median and jackknifed.  

Sohi immediately pulled over his truck and ran to the overturned vehicle to check on the driver. Arriving at the vehicle, he found the driver, in shock from the accident, unable to follow Sohi’s direction to cut off the ignition. With gas leaking around the vehicle, Sohi climbed into the truck to shut off the engine and asked the driver if anyone else was with him. Another driver was in the sleeper at the time of the accident and was luckily unharmed.

Sohi helped both drivers out of the truck, called 911 and stayed with the men until help arrived.

This is not the first time he has helped out a fellow driver and once pulled a man from a roll-over accident.

“I know if I stop and help, then maybe one day if I need help, someone will do the same for me,” said Sohi.

Sohi has been a driver for eight years and comes from a trucking family, with his father also driving trucks professionally. For his efforts to help the two men, Sohi received a certificate, patch, lapel pin and truck decals. Bison Transport also received a certificate acknowledging Sohi as a Highway Angel.