US veteran hailed as 'highway angel' after using combat first aid to save trucker in crash

James Brown, a driver for Melton Truck Lines based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was driving through heavy rain and low visibility on May 22 when he saw another trucker lose control and overturn about 40 miles east of Little Rock, Arkansas. Brown pulled over, jumped out of his cab, and ran to the wrecked truck, which had slid about 75 feet. He helped the driver out and noticed a piece of metal lodged in the man's leg. Before Brown could warn him not to pull it out, the driver did so. Brown immediately saw that an artery had been severed, causing profuse bleeding. Drawing on combat medical skills learned during his 12 years in the US Marines, he cut a seatbelt, fashioned a tourniquet, and applied it to the man's leg. This slowed the blood loss and bought time for first responders to arrive. Although the victim had lost significant blood and was speaking incoherently, he remained conscious until emergency crews arrived. Brown stayed at the scene for nearly two hours after first responders took over, providing witness statements to investigators before completing his delivery. The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), which has run the 'Highway Angels' program since 1997 to recognize drivers for kindness and courage, inducted Brown on June 4. Brown said he simply provided the help he would hope to receive if he or his family were in a similar situation.