AKRON, Ohio, March 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A truck driver who
stopped an out-of-control dump truck and then saved the life of an
incapacitated driver by performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation
(CPR) is the 34th Goodyear Highway Hero.
Chosen from three finalists, David
Webb of Billings,
Mont., today accepted the 34th Goodyear
Highway Hero Award during the Mid-America Trucking Show, which is
taking place this week in Louisville,
Ky.
Webb and his wife, Carol, were driving through Washington State last June when they observed
a dump truck in the next lane swerve. Webb pulled up to the dump
truck and noticed that its driver was slumped over the steering
wheel. As the dump truck slowed, Webb parked his own truck and ran
after the still-moving vehicle.
He jumped onto the dump truck's running board, opened the door,
reached inside and applied the brakes, which brought the truck to a
stop. As Carol called 911, Webb, working with a bystander, pulled
the driver, who was not breathing, out of the truck and was
performing CPR on him when help arrived. The driver was
hospitalized and survived.
"David took immediate action to save a fellow truck driver and
stop an out-of-control truck that could have injured others," said
Gary Medalis, marketing director,
Goodyear. "For his quick thinking and courage, we are proud to name
him our 34th Goodyear Highway Hero."
As the Goodyear Highway Hero Award winner, Webb receives a
special Highway Hero ring, a $5,000
prize and other items.
Webb and two other truck drivers were selected as finalists for
the 34th Goodyear Highway Hero Award. The other
finalists were:
Chris Baker, a driver from
Chicopee, Mass. Baker was
driving down a New Jersey highway
when he spotted flickering lights ahead. Pulling closer to
investigate, he found a minivan that had flipped over onto its
side. Flames erupted from the vehicle's engine. Grabbing his fire
extinguisher, he ran to the van and put out the fire. By then, the
van's passenger had escaped and crawled to safety, but its
unconscious driver remained inside, hanging from a seat belt.
Working with a bystander, Baker unfastened the driver's seat belt,
grabbed him by the arm, and pulled him away from the van. Baker
stayed by his side until rescue crews arrived. The man survived and
did not suffer any significant injuries.
Tim Freiburger, a driver from
Huntington, Ind. Freiburger
was driving through Indiana when
he saw a car lose control and drive into a creek, where it flipped
and came to a stop, upside-down in standing water. Freiburger raced
to the car, which contained a mother and her three children. He
broke a window and pulled the children out of the car. After
carrying them to the creek's bank, he returned to the car, ripped
open its door, and rescued the mother. He stayed with the family
until paramedics arrived. The family suffered only minor bruises as
a result of the accident.
The Goodyear Highway Hero Award winner was selected by an
independent panel consisting of members of the trucking trade
press.
"We are proud of all three of our Highway Hero finalists," said
Medalis. "Each is a hero in his own right and is truly worthy of
recognition."
About The Goodyear Tire & Rubber
Company:
Goodyear (NASDAQ: GT) offers The Total
Solution of trusted products, a nationwide network, reliable
services, and fleet management tools to help commercial trucking
fleets lower their total cost of ownership. To learn more, visit
www.goodyeartrucktires.com.
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SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company