Goodyear names 34th Highway Hero

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Heroes don't always wear capes. But they do, sometimes, drive big rigs.

David Webb is one of those heroes — the truck driving kind. The kind that acts bravely and does the right thing simply because the right thing helps someone else, even if it means putting himself in harm's way. For his actions, Goodyear has selected him as recipient of the 34th annual Highway Hero Award, which was presented during the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) in Louisville.

While driving though Washington state, Mr. Webb and his wife Carol saw a dump truck swerve across marked lanes. As they pulled closer, Mr. Webb noticed the driver had slumped over the steering wheel and as the dump truck slowed, he sprang into action.

After parking his own truck, Mr. Webb ran after the still moving dump truck. He jumped on the running board, opened the door, reached in and applied the brakes to bring the truck to a complete stop. While his wife called 911, Mr. Webb pulled the dump truck driver from the vehicle with the help of another bystander. When he saw the driver was not breathing, he administered CPR.

The dump truck driver was hospitalized, but did survive.

"David took immediate action to save a fellow truck driver and stop an out-of-control truck that could have injured others," Goodyear Marketing Director Gary Medalis said. "For his quick thinking and courage, we are proud to name him our 34th Goodyear Highway Hero."

As the Goodyear Highway Hero Award winner, Mr. Webb, a Billings, Mont. resident, received a special Highway Hero ring, a $5,000 prize and other items.

Mr. Webb was one of three finalists for the Highway Hero Award, and all three were honored during the MATS event, which runs through March 25.

The other award finalists were Chris Baker, a driver from Chicopee, Mass., who rescued an unconscious motorist from a minivan that had flipped over; and Tim Freiburger, a resident of Huntington, Ind., who pulled a mother and her three children from a car that was upside-down in a creek bed.

"We are proud of all three of our Highway Hero finalists," Mr. Medalis said. "Each is a hero in his own right and is truly worthy of recognition."