Houston- Good samaritan trucker performs CPR on man hit by car

http://abc13.com/news/accident-involving-pedestrian-shuts-down-45-north-freeway/1057022/

"HOUSTON (KTRK) --
A man was hit this morning while trying to walk across the North Freeway.

The freeway is now moving but the tragic accident could have been much worse had it not been for a truck driver's quick actions.

All the southbound lanes of I-45 were shut down just before 6am. Deputies say a person running across the interstate was hit by a car.

Tractor trailer driver David Skinner explained, "I was going to go on, but I saw the guy was still breathing."

Skinner was several car lengths behind the vehicle that hit a man walking across the southbound lanes of traffic on Interstate 45. Instead of driving away, Skinner tried to help.

Skinner said, "So I stopped, called 911. While I was on the phone with them they asked me if I could perform CPR, he was still breathing at that time, and by the time I went down to roll him over, because he was on his stomach, he had stopped breathing."
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Good on this trucker. This section of freeway is like 10+ lanes, and at 6 am, a madhouse. There is an underpass right where the pedestrian was crossing he could have used.

And, of course, the local news is reporting "man hit by 18 wheeler". Of course.

 

Yeah, RustyBolt, I have had the displeasure of rolling up to a fatal last year on this same stretch of freeway, just earlier in the morning and farther north. Cars rolling over the victim, skidding into the scene because they weren't paying attention, people busting out cell phone cameras, and you're there thinking "crap, no one is doing crap, its all me".

For me, though, there was nothing I could do as it was an obvious fatality. But I was beyond flustered- I couldn't even tell the 911 operator what exit I was at, despite driving this route several hundred times. For this driver to keep a level head was a huge feat.

This is why I'm always posting in the trucking accidents section- kind of to remind myself not to get complacent out there- driving is a dangerous game and I'm not sure most people realize how close to death they come every day on the roads.