Blog

By: Avery Greenblatt

Gary Wilburn was named a Highway Angel after saving a State Trooper that was injured in a car crash. The Truckload Carriers Association’s Highway Angel program is an organization that honors truck drivers that show bravery and kindness towards others while driving

While driving in heavy traffic one afternoon, Wilburn spotted an Arkansas State Trooper car crashed on the side of the road. Wilburn looked around to see if anyone was going to help, but watched as every car just passed the crash without looking back or attempting to help.

Wilburn said “I was in traffic for an hour before I saw the trooper… Some of the stuff I noticed was insane—no one’s calling the police, cars are driving by, and no one stopped to help him.” Wilburn quickly called 911 so they could send help, and waited with the Trooper until emergency services arrived and he was airlifted to a hospital. “He was banged up really bad, lower legs were broken, upper legs were broken and he was pinned in. His legs were crushed really bad.”

Wilburn was very upset that no one else stopped and tried to help the Trooper, or call 911, and said he did it because “I’m that idiot that runs into burning buildings and pulls out pets. When I see something like that, I can’t keep going on about my day.”

Wilburn’s actions were admirable, and we can all learn from him the importance of taking action. Instead of being a bystander that drives by and ignores accidents or others in trouble, we should be more like Wilburn and seek to help people out.