Only a few exceptional truck drivers are honored as Highway Angels every year. But while Christopher Lemaire has been named a Highway Angel this year, that’s not what’s amazing. It’s that this is his third time receiving the honor.
Lemaire was driving on I-76 near Philadelphia on May 2nd when the incident occurred. A car passed him going at a high speed before losing control. According to the Truckload Carriers Association, the car hit the embankment on the right side of the road and bounced back with so much force, that the car went airborne over the hood of Lemaire’s truck before coming to rest on the other side of the road.
Acting quickly, Lemaire placed his truck between the crash and oncoming traffic, got out, and went to check on the driver. Miraculously, the driver had survived the crash. Despite the fact that the wheels had come off of the car, the driver was trying to drive away.
When Lemaire told him to take his foot off of the gas, the driver started yelling at him. According to Lemaire, he could smell the alcohol on the man’s breath. When Lemaire reached into the car and put it in park, the man got out and tried to get into a different car that was slowly driving past the accident.
A former police officer, Lemaire grabbed the man, moved him out of the road, and forcibly detained him until police arrived. When they did, they thanked him and told him that the man had been involved in another accident just a few miles away and had fled the scene.
Wow sounds like something I would have done. Oh wait I did. A postal worker spun out in front of me and hit the median and I immediately parked with my lights flashing and reaching in to put his car in park. I took him out of his car, he was very intoxicated and put him in my car, while I drove his car back in the right direction. I took him to a pay phone and waited with him, while his family came. That’s just one time I did something. I am just a girl.
Its amazing how many truck drivers are looking for praise like look at me look at me look what i did. I very and highly doubt the car flew over the hood of his truck. Sounds like he told reporters a little bit of the stretched truth.
Thank you!
Really? I have seen it happen before! Also the driver must be nominated by another person for this award, I have done petty much the same things that this driver has done. You see a lot of strange stuff at night! My Boss hated me and would not tell the company I worked for about the things I did to saved lives, I have had state troopers call me after the incident and tell me that I did save their lives by just a phone call or blocking the accident or trees down on the interstate. I was not asking for any reward or nomination, my wife worked in the office at the same company and could hear the boss saying that he was not going to tell anyone, anyway I have nominated drivers that I never sought in person or saw what they did. I read about a driver on his pickup route doing trash cans, a huge Fire that burned down the city of Paradise California last year. After he got done early that day the fire was going and getting bigger by the minute. This driver went out of his way to drive to houses of elderly people to check on them knowing they could not drive. He ended up with one elderly woman and between him and a neighbor they got her into his truck and drove for three hours to get around the fire and get to safety. After getting back into company yard in Chico California the driver talked to mechanic on duty and that mechanic took her into his home knowing it was going to be months before she could even be able to go home if she had one still. They did not know this person except from picking up her trash! Now these two people are Highway Angels to me! I never heard back on the nomination and these two people have no clue that I nominated them for it. They to were just doing their job and caring about others outside of them and their family! Any driver who has a two million miles should have seen and or helped out some one out on the road over their career? I know I have over the 25 years out there driving, especially on interstate five in California and Oregon and US-395 in California in the hi Sierra Mountains every night going and come from Reno to LA.
SFM…As we read on a daily basis the reporter might have taken liberty with what the driver told him .It happens with far too many reporters especially the ones that don’t know the difference between a pick up truck and a semi truck driver. To them a pick up driver is a truck driver. no difference. To address your statement further.I have seen cars flip high enough to clear the hood of a truck more than once in my long career in trucking.. When you consider the speed and the force and the weight and size of the vehicle involved it can happen ,and does.
I have stopped and helped a young couple coming out of South Dakota in the winter. They were going North, spun out, went through the median and hit the concrete barrier on the west side of the bridge. It was at night, nobody else around. It was snowing and cold. They had 2 young children in the car. They kept telling me, we can’t move the car. I asked if they had called 911 and they said yes. I stayed with them until the Highway Patrol arrived. If I had to do it over I would have put the young couple and their kids in my truck for safety reasons until help arrived. I always think about them. How they are doing today.
Three times, I’m starting to think he’s got a buddy who is the set up man for him to play the role of the hero😇. Jk
YAY! GOOD JOB!!!