Two Native Americans, Edie Ohms of Darby MT, and Emil Richards of Hot Springs SD, have received the Highway Angel award from the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) for going out of their way to assist motorists in need. Ohms is a Yakima Indian raised in Washington state, and Richards is an Oglala Sioux raised in Pine Ridge SD.
Ohms, who works for Davis Transport, was nominated for the award by an elderly couple he stopped to help in the California desert. He said about 20 or 30 vehicles had just driven by the couple, who were stranded on Interstate 5 trying to fix a tire. “It must have been 100 degrees out,” Ohms said. “I stopped and gave them some bottles of water and told the man to sit there and let me do it.”
Richards helped a woman who had run over the tread of a blown-out tire on an interstate highway in Nebraska. Debris from the tire flew into her engine and damaged the front end of her Volkswagen. Richards saw the incident happen as he was preparing to enter a rest stop. When the woman pulled over to inspect the damage, Richards came over and offered his help. He was able to get up underneath the car and, using his tools, cut away the debris that had become trapped in the engine and fan belt. He then told her he would follow her to be sure the car was safe. The woman later wrote to his employer, Smithway Motor Xpress Inc, expressing her thanks.
