Helping a Highway Hero

After a horrific head-on crash that left his rig in ruins and an SUV on fire, Jorge Orozco Sanchez ignored his injuries and leapt into the burning car to rescue two children strapped in the car seats from the flames, although he could not save their mother. For his heroic deed, Orozco Sanchez was named Goodyear's 2008 Highway Hero.

But esteem and recognition doesn't always pay the bills, for the crash destroyed his truck and his ability to earn a living. Then the Owner Operators Independent Drivers Assn. helped him put together a plan to finance a 2005 Freightliner Columbia.

The Truck Writers of North America helped raise $3,000 from a variety of suppliers, including Shell Lubricants, ArvinMeritor, Bendix, Truck-Lite, Nancy Bingham & Caterpillar, SKF Group, SAF-Holland and the Eaton-Dana RoadRanger operation.