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At about 11 a.m. May 8,
2023, Brandon Kelly of
Odessa, Florida, was driving
along Interstate 74 in Huntington,
West Virginia, when
he was flagged down by a
man who had parked his
Jeep on the side of the road.
“I saw smoke coming
from the guy’s vehicle,” Brandon Kelly
Kelly said. He quickly and
safely pulled over, grabbed the fire extinguisher from
his truck, and called 911.
“He (the vehicle owner) was starting to open the
hood of the vehicle to see what it was,” Kelly said. “I
BRANDON KELLY
Hirschbach Motor Lines
Dubuque, Iowa
told him not to do that because it might feed oxygen to
whatever was smoking.”
A former volunteer firefighter, Kelly has basic training
that helped with the situation, and he was able to
extinguish the fire while on the phone with the 911
dispatcher. When the fire department arrived 15 minutes
later, officials told Kelly he was in the right place
at the right time. Apparently, there was gas leaking in
the vehicle, as well as burned wires, which could have
resulted in a fiery disaster.
Kelly, who has been a truck driver for eight years,
said he did not hesitate to stop and help.
“I was raised, if somebody needs help, it doesn’t
matter what kind of help it is; just stop to see if you
can offer some assistance,” he said.
Jonathon Adams of Grand
Rapids, Minnesota, was in
the right place at the right
time on June 24, 2023. At
about 4 p.m., he was driving
along Interstate 64 in Simpsonville,
Kentucky, when
he saw a passenger vehicle
swerve into another lane,
causing another passenger Jonathon Adams
vehicle to veer off the road
and flip end over end multiple times, landing in a ditch.
“Me being prior law enforcement-trained and I used
to be a CPR instructor — I’m definitely a first responder
— I definitely needed to pull over and help,” Adams
said.
Adams, who also is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force,
called 911 and safely pulled over to assist.
When he reached the overturned vehicle, three
people had managed to get out of the car. However,
Adams was told, there was a fourth passenger still inside
the vehicle.
Adams pried open the door and found the passenger,
a male, who appeared to be severely injured. He
JONATHON ADAMS
Prime Inc.
Springfield, Missouri
asked the passenger if he was able to get out of the vehicle.
The man said he could not get out on his own,so
Adams pulled him out of the vehicle and put him next
to the other passengers, safely off the road.
Next, he returned to the vehicle, turned off the engine,
and disconnected the battery to prevent it from
catching on fire.
“Everybody was just head concussions, seat belt
injuries and just broken bones,” he said.
Adams was able to give first responders, who were
en route to the scene, details about the injuries sustained.
Another passerby who stopped to help was a
nurse, and Adams asked her to keep an eye on one of
the passengers, who had head trauma.
Once emergency medical services arrived, Adams
advised the crew of the situation and let them know
who needed immediate help. He also spoke with police
and was able to offer his dash cam footage to help
identify the vehicle that had swerved into the other
lane. Adams stayed on site for an hour helping the
police.
“I really do well in a time of crisis,” Adams noted. “If
I get hurt, I’ll figure it out later.”
TCA SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2023 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 43