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Team drivers named Highway Angels
By eTrucker Staff
Owner-operator team drivers Irene and Dennis Howard have been recognized as Highway Angels by the Truckload Carriers Association for their fast actions when a fellow motorist fell asleep at the wheel.
On Aug. 4, the Howards were hauling a load of explosives for Landstar Ranger near Hydro, Okla. Irene noticed a pickup truck start to fishtail, cross the median and head straight toward their tractor-trailer.
The Howards, who have seven years of experience hauling explosives and 13 total years as truck drivers, made quick mental calculations. Based on their truck and tractor measuring about 70 feet and the speed at which the pickup was barreling toward them, it seemed inevitable the pickup would ram into them if Irene braked. Both drivers realized that speeding up was the only option. They shouted “Floor it” at the same time, and Irene did.
The pickup had narrowly missed their trailer, but struck a cable barrier, went airborne, hit the pavement and broke into several pieces.
“My rule is to get explosives at least 300 feet away from any accident, so I drove to a safe distance as fast as I could,” Irene said. Her quick action came just in time, because the pickup burst into flames almost immediately.
While Irene called emergency personnel, Dennis jumped out of the truck and joined several other motorists in extracting the couple inside the pickup from their burning vehicle. The driver was in shock and later admitted he had fallen asleep at the wheel.
The Howards stayed on the scene until police and fire rescue arrived. Because of their quick thinking, Landstar awarded them with its Platinum Star of Quality Award.
“This accident was bad, but I can only imagine how much worse it would have been if those explosives had caught fire,” said Chris Burruss, TCA’s president. “We applaud Irene’s ability to maneuver her vehicle and Dennis’ heroism in assisting the injured motorists. Without them, that accident could easily have turned fatal.”
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