Addis Tekelu: Highway Angel

The Truckload Carriers Association has named Addis Tekelu of CKJ Transport from New Braunfels, Texas, a Highway Angel after he stopped to help a woman who veered off the road after experiencing a medical emergency.

Tekelu was driving south on U.S 59 of May 18, south of Diboll, Texas when he saw that the pickup truck ahead of him moved to the right shoulder, and a moment later, drove off the roadway and vanished into a thicket of trees.

Instantly concerned, Tekelu stopped his truck and ran back to where the pickup had steered off the road. He said that he called 911 immediately and followed the advice the dispatcher gave him. He followed the tracks to where the vehicle was, and found it covered in bushes and branches.

Tekelu could see a woman trapped inside with cuts on her head, and the windshield was shattered. The driver’s side was smashed in, and Tekelu worked to remove the debris from the rear driver’s door to open it.

At first the driver seemed in shock, but Tekelu kept talking to her and she asked him to call her husband. Tekelu couldn’t get her out, and asked if he could pray for her, and she agreed and the two prayed together until the first responders arrived on the scene. Once she was free, she could still walk and was reported safe.

The driver, who was in her 60s, had suffered a medical emergency that made her faint, and thus caused her to veer off the road. Tekelu is simply happy that she was able to escape safely.

Tekelu has been driving for 10 years and is originally from Ethiopia. He credits the civil war of 1984-’85 of teaching him the importance of kindness and love despite differences. Tekelu said he is grateful to God for giving him the opportunity to live the American dream and be a backbone of the country as a trucker.

The TCA has awarded him a certificate, patch, lapel pin, and truck decals that acknowledges him as a Highway Angel.

Source: highwayangel.com

By Samuel Barradas.