and began struggling with the prisoner in an effort to free Herndon, who was immobilized by his seat belt. During the melee, the prisoner pulled Herndon’s gun from its holster. Blackburn grabbed the barrel of the gun and pointed it toward the car’s dashboard. Meanwhile, Herndon released his seat belt and rolled out of the car. The prisoner then tried to point the gun at Blackburn, who turned the weapon around and aimed it at the prisoner. Pointing the gun at the prisoner, Blackburn backed away from the car. Realizing that the cruiser’s keys were still in the ignition, the prisoner tried to start the car and drive away. Working together, Blackburn and Herndon subdued him.
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David Fredericksen, a driver from Windermere FL. Fredericksen was driving down an Interstate near Gulfport MS when he saw a car crash into another truck and catch fire. He grabbed his fire extinguisher and ran to the car, repelling the flames enough to reach the car’s passenger side door. By this time, several spectators had joined him. They helped him remove the passengers—including a woman who had suffered a broken leg and her year-old grandchild—from the blazing car. By the time firefighters reached the scene, the vehicle’s passenger area was engulfed in flames. The incident was captured by Fredericksen’s dashboard camera. To view an ABC news report about the rescue, click
here.
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Mack Guffey, a driver from Gainesboro TN. Guffey was driving near New York City when an SUV passed his truck and slammed into a guardrail. The SUV flipped over and landed on its side, and the front of the vehicle burst into flames. Guffey stopped his truck, grabbed his fire extinguisher, and ran over to the SUV. While fighting the fire, he tried to reach into the SUV through its broken windshield to grab the vehicle’s severely injured, semi-conscious driver. Using his extinguisher, he then smashed the SUV’s side window, grabbed the driver, and carried him to safety. Fearing that other people were trapped inside the SUV, Guffey ran back to the now flame-engulfed vehicle and discovered nobody else was inside. Guffey, whose clothes had caught fire during the rescue, suffered several cuts and burns due to his efforts but stayed with the vehicle’s driver until help arrived.
Trucking industry journalists are now evaluating these finalists. The truck driver who is named the 32nd Goodyear Highway Hero will receive a special ring, a $5,000 award, and a congratulatory crystal. Each of the other finalists will receive a cash prize and other items.
To learn more, access www.goodyeartrucktires.com.
