Rollin' 18 Podcast

Unsung Heroes on the Highway: Acts of Bravery, Personal Stories, and Consistency in Podcasting

• Walter Gatlin • Season 1 • Episode 34

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What drives a person to act heroically in the face of tragedy? On this episode of Rollin' 18, we celebrate the unsung heroes of the trucking world with stories that highlight their incredible bravery and selflessness. Hear about Brian Biggs, a truck driver whose quick response to a devastating accident in Kirkwood, New York, earned him the prestigious Highway Angel award. His actions serve as a poignant reminder of the valor that often goes unnoticed on the open road. Additionally, I share a deeply personal experience from the 90s on California’s Highway 58, where I encountered a deaf woman in distress and how that moment underscored the vital role truck drivers play during emergencies.

As we journey through these compelling narratives, I also reaffirm my commitment to you, our loyal listeners, with a promise of consistency. I'm excited to outline our podcast schedule—episodes airing every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. While there might be occasional hiccups due to unforeseen circumstances like illness or particularly demanding workdays, I assure you that my dedication to this podcast only grows stronger, especially with retirement on the horizon. Your support means the world to me, so stay connected through our website and social media for the latest updates. Grab your coffee, settle in, and join us as we pay tribute to the remarkable heroes who keep our highways safe.

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Email me anytime with news, suggestions, and stories at rollin18podcast@gmail.com. God bless, be safe, and keep it between the lines drivers.

Speaker 1:

Welcome to Rolling 18 Podcast. This 40-year veteran is here for anyone wanting to stay up to date in the trucking world. Grab your coffee, hop on board and let's get on down the road with Walter Gadlin.

Speaker 2:

Hello drivers, I want to thank you guys for listening to my podcast. I want to thank you guys for listening to my podcast. You know today's an unusual day. There's all kinds of stories out there about freight and all kinds of stories about different things, but I want to try to acknowledge some folks out there that really deserve the acknowledgement. Now, today we're going to talk a little bit about Highway Angel. Highway Angel is an organization that honors truck drivers that do fantastic things to help other people. Kirkwood, new York.

Speaker 2:

There was a driver by the name of Brian Bigg and Biggs was turning right to get on the on-ramp on exit one on Interstate 81 South when he noticed a little girl coming up out of the creek alone. That doesn't scare you. A little girl coming up out of the creek. That was sad. He knew something wasn't right, so he parked on the shoulder and ran over. That's when the father had come up out of the ravine. The father told Biggs his son was still in their crashed van, which was in a very deep creek and was not able to be seen. Biggs and another bystander crawled down into the creek to find the van on its side as a result of a head-on impact into a concrete wall. Now Biggs maneuvered into the van with 14-year-old boy, was at and was talking to him along with other bystanders. A New York State trooper arrived and climbed in the van as well as to, you know, to assess the situation. The boy claimed his shoulder hurt but that he was okay. Now, as the paramedics were arriving at the scene, the boy went into cardiac arrest and then died. So obviously there were some internal injuries that nobody knew about. I don't know if anything could have been done probably not but despite the extensive efforts to revive him he did not survive. Biggs said I was glad I was there at least to try and help him out, but it just wasn't good. It was horrible. Biggs said the victim's father had fallen asleep while driving, which caused the crash. Now Biggs tried to keep updated on the condition of the girl and the father and believes the girl is still hospitalized in upstate New York, but the father has been released. Biggs said he is planning to make a wooden cross to put up at the scene of the accident in honor of the deceased boy he goes.

Speaker 2:

I've been here on the road for 35 years and that's one of the worst accident scenes I have ever seen. I was just glad to be there at that spot. That young kid could have passed away alone, and that's true. I mean, how often do we think about things like that? So anyway, the Highway Angel gave him an award. They honored him for his actions. His company also, tsa TCA, has presented him with certificate patches, a lapel pin and truck decals. The company also received a letter acknowledging him as a Highway Angel. So that is kind of like a really big deal being a Highway Angel, because you're in there forever and your story will be there forever as well. There will probably be a lot more information at the Highway Angel site.

Speaker 2:

But how many times are we on the road and we come across situations like that? There was a time I came across a situation and I believe it was in the 90s. I was on Highway 58 in between Kramer Junction and Boron, california. It's about uh, kramer Junction is about 40 miles east, I believe, of Mojave, california, and about 45 miles west of Barstow, california. Before they put the new 58 four lane through that area, because it it right there at that s curve just east of boron, california, it used to converge into two lanes one lane going east, one lane going west, then it would get quite a bit. Uh, I would say about five or six miles east of kramer's junction, then it would convert back into a four line. Well, they've gotten rid of all that now. They've converted that whole area into four lane. So it's four lane, but it's two lane east, two lane west.

Speaker 2:

Before that happened, at that S curve there was a gal driving easterly bound. She had just left I believe it was San Francisco. She was heading home, she was deaf and she hit head on with a one ton dually pickup truck pulling a very heavy trailer. Now I can't remember for the life of me who was at fault. Somebody crossed the line. They hit head-on. I just got on scene, I got out. She was still trapped inside the driver's side. She was the only one in the vehicle. The van was, I believe it was like a camper type van, but it was a regular van with a high roof and it had like a stove, refrigerator and all that stuff in it.

Speaker 2:

As I got in there I got in the back because I knew I couldn't get her out. Her legs were literally crushed in the front, had to wait for a fire department to get there. I knew the first thing I had to do was put her in traction. Her head was just leaning to the left. It was all over the place. She no airbags, nothing like that in this vehicle.

Speaker 2:

I didn't even know she was deaf until I put her in traction, put my hands up there and I started talking. Now, as you can hear my voice, it is very deep and as I speak I can feel the vibration through my body, even to the tips of my fingertips. In some cases I can feel my voice. So when I started talking she immediately sprung up. I mean, she felt me touch her and everything. But when I started talking I could tell that she was listening. I don't know how to put it any other way. I knew she was listening, but she would moan and groan because here she is in an accident. She's in severe pain and I put her head in traction to keep her from moving her neck so she wouldn't break her back or her neck if it wasn't already broken. But I made sure I held her in traction as she was moaning, as I would speak and try and calm her down. She would try to speak, but she would also stop and listen with the feeling in the side of her head or, you know, through my fingertips.

Speaker 2:

It was an extremely odd situation but it was, it was. It wasn't scary, it was more like it was a I don't know. I just felt this calmness about it. She felt the calmness. I could tell she was in shock. She probably was more scared than what she was in pain. I'm pretty sure the the amount of damage that she had in her lower extremities. I'm pretty sure that she was in shock enough to where she couldn't feel all that. Anyway, to make a long story short, the fire department got there. They extricated I could never say that word, good, extricate, extricate, excricated. Anyway, yeah, I'm a truck driver they got her out of there and I held traction until they got a brace and, you know, a neck collar and all that stuff put on. They put a bunch of IVs in. They knew she was in critical condition. Well, last I heard she had passed away on her flight to the hospital. So that was a very sad situation but that was probably the most traumatic situation that I ever dealt with in my life.

Speaker 2:

But after hearing her try to speak and knowing the sound that comes out of a person's mouth that's been deaf their whole life, I had learned real quickly that she was deaf and as I spoke she would calm down. And she would calm down. And maybe that's why God put me there. I don't know because of my voice, because of the way the vibration goes to my fingertips. You know that was. Her only way of communicating was to either, I imagine, read lips, which she couldn't do any of that because she had glass in her eyes. She couldn't see. Here she was deaf. Oh my God, what a scary, scary situation.

Speaker 2:

But I tried to remain calm. I said calm things and every time I spoke it seems like, from what I can remember, that she would just freeze and start listening, and I think that really helped her calm down, not to mention the fact that she was probably going into shock and going to pass out. You know, it's just one of those things when death comes at you, your body starts to lose control and you just start to go to sleep, and that's the sad part about it. But that was the most traumatic experience I've ever felt. I can only imagine what Biggs felt like when he was down there with that boy and all of a sudden that boy goes into cardiac arrest and the paramedics do whatever they can for him and then he finds out they lost him. You know that's a horrible situation. That really is, and it affects all of us. But just remember out there, guys and gals, you're out there and when you come across a situation like that, these people are going to be in shock. You know from everything that I've witnessed on the accident scenes that I've come across, just stay calm. Just stay calm. I know you want to do your best and you can do your best. You can be a big, huge help. We know we can. I mean, there's a lot of stressful situations in our trucking career that prepares us for a scene like this. So I think we can all do a pretty good job of helping other people and I thank God for people like Brian Biggs and all of you folks out there that are willing to do the right thing.

Speaker 2:

Okay, somebody just handed me a piece of paper to let me know that Brian Biggs did not work for TCA. I don't know who he worked for. The story didn't say I thought he worked for TCA and he was recognized by Highway Angel. Well, highway Angel actually belongs to Truckload Carriers Association, tca, and that's who he was recognized by. So I have no idea. I guess the story didn't mention who he worked for, which is kind of sad because I'd like to give them recognition as well, but that particular story did not mention he may be an owner operator too. You know, give me the broker's name, I'll recognize them. But anyway, TCA Highway Angel has a Facebook page and it is basically just searching Facebook TCA Highway Angel all one word and you will find their recognition of many, many, many drivers. They posted April 26th, which has ABF Freight's Leslie Ligon, named a TSA Highway Angel for discovering and coming to the aid of an elderly couple after their car crashed in 22-degree weather in the middle of the night.

Speaker 2:

So there you go, go to TCA Highway Angel at Facebook. You can find out where their website is. If you want to donate, you can do that. They even have a phone number. They have oh, it looks like here an email address. I'm trying to see. Oh yeah, wwwhighwayangelorg. So they do have a website. Yeah, it's kind of cool. You know this first time hearing about it. I don't know why They've been in conception since 90. You know, I may have heard about it before, but maybe it was under circumstances I couldn't write it down or just totally spaced it off.

Speaker 2:

Who knows this day and age, who knows? Break one nine. This is Rollin' 18 Podcast. We're switching gears Now. I want to thank you folks for listening to Rollin' 18 Podcast. Check out all the links down below and follow me, if you can. You know I'm not out to make this some huge thing. I just really enjoy telling stories and enjoy putting out these podcasts on Monday, wednesdays and Fridays. Now, like I said before, sometimes a podcast cannot be made, either because I catch a cold or because I get sick, or because something happens at work and I have to go work. A 20-hour day. It just ain't going to happen. So if a podcast doesn't show up, please be patient Until I retire next year or maybe the year after. This is the way it's going to have to be, but I am going to try and stick with all my heart. Monday, wednesday and Friday.

Speaker 1:

As always drivers, god bless, be safe and keep it between the lines. Thank you for listening to Roland 18 Podcast. Please visit Walter's podcast site at Roland18Podcastcom or his social media sites such as Instagram, facebook and TikTok. All links are in the description.