ALEXANDRIA, Va. —The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) is naming Terry Walde a TCA Highway Angel for stopping to aid a cyclist who had been struck by a semi-truck on the road in a hit-and-run accident.
Walde, who hails from Miami, Manitoba, Canada, drives for Searcy Trucking Ltd, out of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
On May 27 at approximately 12:45 p.m., while traveling eastbound on Highway 1 between Ernfold and Chaplin, Saskatchewan, Walde encountered debris on the highway and immediately slowed down. Moments later, he came upon a critical scene — a cyclist, journeying across Canada, had been struck by a semi-truck that fled the scene.
Semi Responsible for Hit-and-Run
“I saw the bicycle, and I also saw the guy lying there beside the bicycle,” Walde said. “Another truck driver stopped and called 911 while I tended to the guy, to make sure he was still alive.”
Walde, who has been a professional truck driver for 42 years, knew the cyclist needed help immediately.
The cyclist had sustained serious injuries including a broken leg, ribs and collarbone. He was lying on the side of the road, struggling to breathe.
“You could see on the grass along a ditch that the truck (that fled) drove right onto the grass, then kept going back onto the road again,” Walde said. “You could see the right tire tracks of the tractor trailer went right over him (the cyclist) on the grass.”
Walde communicated the cyclist’s injuries to emergency responders, and then realized traffic wasn’t slowing down near the accident scene so he directed traffic for several hours.
Searcy Trucking later provided dashcam footage to support the investigation. RCMP Constable Ryan Oram confirmed with Searcy Trucking Ltd that the driver responsible was apprehended and charged shortly afterward. When asked why he went to such lengths to help the injured cyclist, Walde was very matter-of-fact.
“I’m old school — it’s the way I was taught,” Walde said. “We help each other.”
To read more stories of TCA Highway Angels, click here.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
