ALEXANDRIA, Va. —The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) is naming truck driver Deshown Moye, from St. Petersburg, Fla., a TCA Highway Angel for stopping to help during a horrific crash in Alabama.
Moye drives for Melton Truck Lines out of Tulsa, Okla.
Highway Hero
On April 28th, around 6:30 p.m., Moye came upon a devastating multi-vehicle accident as he was delivering a load in Alabama. He approached a grizzly scene on Interstate 65 near exit 304, just after a Lincoln Navigator SUV slammed into the back of a small sedan with such force that it pushed the vehicle underneath an 18-wheeler truck in front of it.
“I could hear the lady screaming,” Moye said, referring to the driver of the small sedan.
Moye and his wife noticed a baby on the side of the road outside the Lincoln Navigator, prompting immediate concern for the child’s safety. Moye stopped his truck, called 911, and rushed to the scene. It turned out the uninjured baby was a passenger of the Navigator, as well as the parents. The driver of the 18-wheeler was also uninjured, so Moye ran to check on the driver of the car wedged up under the back of the truck.
Staying Calm in Calamity
With the car smoking and blood visible throughout the vehicle, he calmly assessed the scene for hazards and turned off the ignition to prevent further danger. Moye found the woman in critical condition — her ankle and left forearm were broken, and her right kneecap had been severely injured.
“She was in very bad shape,” Moye said. “Her femur bone was sticking out of her leg with blood coming out; I instantly grabbed the first piece of cloth I saw in the car.”
Recognizing that moving her could worsen her injuries, he remained by her side to comfort and stabilize her. The woman was panicking and having difficulty breathing due to the extreme pressure from her seat belt. With her permission, Moye carefully cut the seat belt away, relieving the pressure on her chest.
“Her eyes were rolling toward the back of her head—it was just a scary situation,” Moye said.
A Hand to Hold
He then held her hand and talked her through repeated bouts of hyperventilation and consciousness loss, keeping her as calm and safe as possible until emergency services arrived. He spent almost 45 minutes with the injured woman before emergency personnel arrived.
“She would not let my hand go; I felt her pain,” Moye said. “It had to be the grace of God that that lady was still alive.”
To learn more, visit https://www.truckload.org/highway-angel/.
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.
