A Texas trucker is the most recent driver to be honored for his interstate heroics. The Truckload Carriers Affiliation as of late named Paul Hopson, a driver for Action Specialized from Houston, Texas, an Interstate Angel for ceasing to assist a seriously harmed driver found sitting outside of his vehicle on the side of the roadway. TCA explains: Hopson was just outside Waco, Texas on Highway 6, at almost 5 p.m. on September 20, 2019, and traffic was backed up for over half a mile.

“There was lots of CB chatter around a guy sitting outside his pickup on the side of the road, bleeding,” said Hopson. “I get up there and there must have been hundreds of cars and trucks and everybody just passed him up.” Without delay, Hopson pulled over. “A woman pulled over behind me. Turned out she was previously an EMT,” he said. “The man looked like he must have been sitting there for a long time under the sun and drivers were just passing by without stopping.” The man was still conscious and bleeding intensely from what showed up to be a gunfire wound to the face. Hopson called 911 and after that gave the phone to the lady to explain the circumstances to the dispatcher. “She looked within the cab and said, ‘gun’ and we both ventured back. There was a weapon sitting on the floorboard.” Within a matter of minutes, two or three police cars arrived alongside with two ambulances and a fire truck. “They stacked him into the emergency vehicle right away.”

Hopson called the Waco Police Office some days afterward and learned the driver had passed away. “I kept thinking about him,” shared Hopson. “I had just needed him to understand that he wasn’t alone. It’s terrible enough when an individual passes away, but when they’re in a circumstance like that and they’re alone, that’s a difficult way to go. No one would stop, they were only talking about it (on the CB).

Hopson has driven professionally for more than 30 years. He’s come across numerous mischances and has stopped to assist when he could. For his eagerness to stop and offer help, TCA has displayed Hopson with a certificate, patch, lapel pin, and truck decals. Moreover, his boss has received a certificate recognising their driver as a Highway Angel.

Since the program’s initiation in August 1997, more than 1,250 professional truck drivers have been recognised as Highway Angels for the exemplary thoughtfulness, kindness, and courage they have shown while on the work.