ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) has named truck driver Gannon Sanders of Shelbyville, Tennessee, a TCA Highway Angel for jumping into action when a man experienced a medical emergency and stopped breathing.
Sanders drives for Lew Thompson & Son — a Covenant Logistics Company out of Huntsville, Arkansas.
Sanders’ story began at around 3 p.m. on Oct. 18 at a farm a Shelbyville. He was picking up live chickens for a delivery, according to the TCA.
One of the catch crew team members that catches the chickens to be loaded into cages experienced a medical emergency and stopped breathing. There were multiple people on the farm, but almost everyone froze in fear when their teammate hit the ground not breathing.
“I jumped right in and started doing what I had to do. He was unresponsive and he turned blue and cold,” Sanders said. “I ran over there and was on the phone with 911 — she walked me through CPR, which I did on him for seven to eight minutes until the paramedics arrived on the scene.”
Gannon’s actions kept this fellow worker alive. At first the man had no pulse, but eventually, Sanders detected a weak pulse and shallow breathing.
“It was very scary; I ain’t gonna sit here and tell you it was a walk in the park because it wasn’t. In that situation, I was scared — I was fearing for his life.”
The man has since recovered and thanked Sanders for his actions.
“It’s nothing on my end; it’s the glory of God that gave me the strength to do that,” Sanders said.
Since the TCA Highway Angels program’s inception in August 1997, nearly 1,300 professional truck drivers have been recognized as Highway Angels. Each displayed “exemplary kindness, courtesy and courage … while on the job, a news release stated. “Thanks to the program’s presenting sponsor, EpicVue, and supporting sponsor, DriverFacts, TCA is able to showcase outstanding drivers like Mr. Sanders.”
Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and raised in East Texas, John Worthen returned to his home state to attend college in 1998 and decided to make his life in The Natural State. Worthen is a 20-year veteran of the journalism industry and has covered just about every topic there is. He has a passion for writing and telling stories. He has worked as a beat reporter and bureau chief for a statewide newspaper and as managing editor of a regional newspaper in Arkansas. Additionally, Worthen has been a prolific freelance journalist for two decades, and has been published in several travel magazines and on travel websites.
