While traveling northbound on Interstate 65 in Alabama near Greenville, Atlanta East driver Jeff Albrittian witnessed something that he had never seen before.
A car heading south on I-65 crossed the median and cut across Jeff’s lanes of traffic, just 50 yards in front of him. It then ran off the roadway and into a deep ditch before rolling on its side and coming to rest against a tree.
Jeff and his team shuttle partner, Anthony Boykin, immediately went into action.
“I pulled us over to the side of the road and just ran toward the car,” says Jeff. “Anthony grabbed our fire extinguisher, called 911 and was right behind me.”
Jeff peered into the car and saw the driver, who was still in her seat. Her husband had been thrown into the backseat. Both were unconscious.
“I pounded on the windshield and she started to respond. Since the car was lying on the driver’s side, I climbed up onto the passenger’s side and opened the door to get the seatbelt off of her,” recalls Jeff. “But she was pinned in by the steering column, so all I could do was keep talking to her and reassuring her that everything would be OK.”
Other passersby stopped to help, and emergency personnel arrived a few minutes later. Both the driver and the passenger were taken away to receive medical treatment.
“The driver told me that she dozed off, and she knew she should have pulled over earlier to rest,” says Jeff. “As professional drivers, that’s something we have to be aware of ourselves. When you start getting that feeling, you can’t take chances. Just pull over and get some rest.”
This situation could have turned out a lot differently if it weren’t for the quick reactions of our associates. Thanks, Jeff and Anthony, for your quick thinking and selfless actions! via Inside Averitt
A car heading south on I-65 crossed the median and cut across Jeff’s lanes of traffic, just 50 yards in front of him. It then ran off the roadway and into a deep ditch before rolling on its side and coming to rest against a tree.
Jeff and his team shuttle partner, Anthony Boykin, immediately went into action.
“I pulled us over to the side of the road and just ran toward the car,” says Jeff. “Anthony grabbed our fire extinguisher, called 911 and was right behind me.”
Jeff peered into the car and saw the driver, who was still in her seat. Her husband had been thrown into the backseat. Both were unconscious.
“I pounded on the windshield and she started to respond. Since the car was lying on the driver’s side, I climbed up onto the passenger’s side and opened the door to get the seatbelt off of her,” recalls Jeff. “But she was pinned in by the steering column, so all I could do was keep talking to her and reassuring her that everything would be OK.”
Other passersby stopped to help, and emergency personnel arrived a few minutes later. Both the driver and the passenger were taken away to receive medical treatment.
“The driver told me that she dozed off, and she knew she should have pulled over earlier to rest,” says Jeff. “As professional drivers, that’s something we have to be aware of ourselves. When you start getting that feeling, you can’t take chances. Just pull over and get some rest.”
This situation could have turned out a lot differently if it weren’t for the quick reactions of our associates. Thanks, Jeff and Anthony, for your quick thinking and selfless actions! via Inside Averitt