CHALLENGER MOTOR FREIGHT, INC. NAMED TCA HIGHWAY ANGEL FOR ASSISTING MOTORIST FROM OVERTURNED CAR

02/01/2019
Alexandria, Virginia

Terry McKnight of Aylmer, Ontario a professional truck driver for Challenger Motor Freight, Inc. of Cambridge, Ontario has been named a Highway Angel by the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA). He is being recognized for assisting a motorist after a high-speed crash.

Rush hour traffic was starting to build on I-75 in Cincinnati that day in October and McKnight, a dedicated run driver for Challenger Motor Freight, was on his way to Lebanon, Kentucky. He was in the middle lane of the three-lane road when he saw a car enter the highway at a high rate of speed—McKnight figures 70 mph—cut across the slow lane to the middle lane and then try to squeeze in between two cars in the fast lane.

“She didn’t give herself enough room to make the lane change,” McKnight said of the driver, “and hit the rear of the car in front of her, making it spin around. When it stopped, it was facing oncoming traffic.”

The collision caused the speeding vehicle to flip upside down and slide, on its roof, down the middle of the road. McKnight followed the driver, stopping behind where the overturned car came to rest, and positioned his truck to prevent other vehicles from hitting the car. McKnight rushed over to help the motorist as she was trying to crawl out of her badly-damaged car. He called 911 and stayed at the scene until police arrived and took his statement. One of the officers thanked McKnight for stopping to help—as it turned out he was the only one who stopped that day. From start to finish, he says he was there just 22 minutes.

“Everybody’s in a hurry,” said McKnight. “I was just in the right place at the right time. I made the decision to stop and block traffic from hitting her car. I didn’t want to see her get hurt. I would do it again if I had to.”

For his willingness to assist a fellow driver, TCA has presented McKnight with a certificate, patch, lapel pin, and truck decals. Challenger Motor Freight, Inc. has also received a certificate acknowledging their driver as a Highway Angel.