ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) has named truck driver Binyam Tadele a Highway Angel for spotting a fire under a car, extinguishing it and getting the driver out of the vehicle safely.
Tadele, from Baltimore, has been driving a truck for Schofield, an independent affiliate of Quality Carriers, for more than four years.
Tadele’s journey to becoming a Highway Angel began on a recent foggy morning at around 7 a.m. along Interstate 70. He was on a run between Baltimore and Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.
Tadele noticed through the fog that a car up ahead appeared to have flames billowing underneath it.
“As I’m passing, the flame started getting bigger,” Tadele shared with TCA.
He continued to watch the car, which was pulled over, in his mirror.
“The flame got worse, and the people were not coming out,” he said.
Tadele safely pulled his rig over, grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran back to the smoldering car. A woman, wearing hospital scrubs, was alone inside.
He yelled at her, “Hey! Your car’s on fire! You gotta get out!”
The woman, unaware of the fire, exited the vehicle, called 911, and Tadele proceeded to extinguish the blaze.
He said he is glad he saw the fire when it was “still small – it could have been worse for her.”
Tadele stayed with the woman until emergency crews arrived to assist.
TCA has presented him with a certificate, patches, lapel pins and truck decals. The company has also received a letter acknowledging him as a Highway Angel.
Since the program’s inception in August 1997, nearly 1,300 professional truck drivers have been recognized as Highway Angels for the exemplary kindness, courtesy, and courage they have displayed while on the job.
Special thanks to the program’s Presenting Sponsor, EpicVue, and Supporting Sponsor, DriverFacts.
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