DRIVER HELPS PREVENT SERIOUS PILE-UP ON BUSY CANADA ROADWAY

01/11/2020
Alexandria, Virginia

The Truckload Carriers Association has named Jeffery Zeeb, a professional truck driver with Bison Transport, a Highway Angel, for stopping to assist motorist who hit a fallen tree in the roadway and directing motorists away from the scene.

It was 3:30 a.m. on August 18, and Zeeb was on a return leg from Sicamous, British Columbia, heading home to Revelstoke, B.C. As he came around a blind curve, Zeeb saw that a car had run into a fallen tree lying across the road. The area was dark, and the weather was rainy and foggy making it nearly impossible to see the tree in time to avoid it. The impact knocked out the car’s electrical system, leaving the car dark. Zeeb says the vehicle was simply a black mass in the night and he only saw it when his lights hit off the back reflectors.

Zeeb stopped and rushed to check on the driver. The car had sustained significant damage but, thankfully, the driver appeared to be okay, although shaken and confused. Zeeb advised her to remain in her vehicle and called the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police), requesting a tow truck and a highway crew to remove the tree from the roadway. Zeeb grabbed flares, road safety triangles, and a warning light from his truck and set them up at the curve to alert other motorists. He then worked to direct traffic to the open lane. It took 45 minutes for help to arrive.

Zeeb has been driving for Bison since November 2018. Prior to that he worked for Greyhound for 13 years. He says he’s come across lots of accidents, especially on Highway 1, which is a main route across Canada. He credits over 20 years of experience, and learning from veterans, for helping him safely take control of a situation that could easily have impacted more vehicles.

For his willingness to assist his fellow drivers, TCA has presented Zeeb with a certificate, patch, lapel pin, and truck decals. His employer has also received a certificate acknowledging their driver as a Highway Angel. Since the program’s inception in August 1997, hundreds of drivers have been recognized as Highway Angels for the exemplary kindness, courtesy, and courage they have displayed while on the job. EpicVue sponsors TCA’s Highway Angel program.