A US military veteran and truck driver has been hailed as a highway angel after using his battlefield medical training to save a fellow trucker who suffered a severe leg injury in a crash. James Brown, a Marine Corps veteran, was driving for Melton Truck Lines through heavy rain and low visibility on May 22 near Little Rock, Arkansas, when he witnessed another truck lose control and overturn.
Quick thinking saves a life
Brown pulled over, rushed to the wrecked truck, and helped the driver out. He noticed a piece of metal lodged in the man's leg. Before Brown could warn him, the driver pulled the metal out, severing an artery and causing rapid blood loss. Drawing on his 12 years of Marine Corps medical training, Brown cut a seatbelt to make a tourniquet and applied it to the leg, slowing the bleeding until emergency responders arrived.
Although the victim lost significant blood and was disoriented, he remained conscious. Brown stayed at the scene for nearly two hours, providing witness statements before continuing his delivery.
Recognition as a highway angel
The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) inducted Brown into its Highway Angels program on June 4, which honors truck drivers for kindness, courtesy, and courage. Brown said he simply did what he hoped others would do for him or his family: 'If that had been me, I would hope somebody would stop and help.'
