Thomas Colston, an 18 wheel truck driver from Burleson, was honored by the Truckload Carriers Association for his bravery after witnessing a crash on November 22nd last year.
Colston was driving on icy Interstate 20 west of Fort Worth when he saw an out-of-control pickup truck headed at him. Colston steered out of the way but the pickup crashed into a concrete retaining wall, hit two other vehicles, flipped over, and caught fire.
Colston immediately called 911 as he ran toward the burning vehicle. The driver was trapped inside and was screaming for help. Another motorist handed Colston a fire extinguisher, which he used to combat the flames. Emergency workers soon arrived and extracted the driver, who fortunately survived.
For his bravery, Colston has just been named a Highway Angel by the Truckload Carriers Association, which recognizes truck drivers for their kindness, courtesy and courage while on the job.
Colston said that his previous training as an EMT and a police officer prepared him for what to do in emergency situations. He had previously worked a police officer in Collegedale, Tennessee. (I had to look up where that was since I’m from Nashville – it’s outside of Chatanooga.)
I report on far too many sad stories where motorists are injured because of the negligence of others so it’s nice to be able to talk about people doing good things and helping each other in such dangerous conditions. I’m glad there are drivers like Colston on our roads — this is such a Texan thing to do.