A Truck Driver Hero Among Us
Posted on Mon, May 24, 2010 @ 11:41 AM
Many people believe that truck drivers have one simple job - drive a truck. But one family from Ohio knows that one particular truck driver is much more than that, he's their hero.
Pam Carter and her daughter Vicki, were on their way to pick up husband and father Air Force Capt. Ryan Carter in Texas, when their car ran off the road and hit a sign. Pam was alright, but her daughter was not breathing. Pam desperately tried to flag someone down, but only truck driver Dave Nelson stopped. With permission from Pam, Nelson pulled Vicki from the car and performed CPR until EMT's arrived. Nelson engaged Pam in conversation in an attempt to keep her calm, and learned that like his own daughter, Vicki had a heart murmur.
"It was so amazing to see this big trucker hold my little girl and do CPR. He kept me calm the whole time and the kindness he showed me really kept me together," said Pam.
Meanwhile in Texas, Capt Carter was excited to see his family after completing two long tours of duty in Iraq. Upon learning of the accident, he flew to Birmingham, AL where Vicki was in the hospital. A member of the rescue squad told the anxious father that had it not been for Nelson, the outcome could have been very different.
Had Dave Nelson's original route not been changed, this unusual set of circumstances would never have occurred. Nelson renews his CPR certification annually just in case of emergencies with his wife who has cancer. Both the Nelson and Carter families keep in constant contact and are even planning a family trip together this summer to Disney World in Florida.
While most people's image of a truck driver will probably never change from the image of a "I only drink coffee and sit at truck stops" hauler, that is an image that has most likely been wiped from the Carter family perspective.
Posted by Janet Starcevic- Payroll, ADS Logistics
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