Truckload Carriers Association Names Yvette Sparks a Highway Angel

Professional truck driver knew her decade of experience as an EMT and firefighter might just come in handy at the scene of an accident… and it did.

Alexandria, Virginia:

Yvette Sparks, a professional truck driver with Transco Lines, Inc., of Russellville, Arkansas, has been named a Highway Angel by the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA). Sparks, who resides in Mount Vernon, Texas, is being recognized for her role in helping an accident victim.

On November 14, 2014, Sparks was travelling northbound on I-35 just south of New Braunfels, Texas. It was about 3 a.m. She had just delivered a load when she came upon an accident that had just happened. Since no emergency personnel had arrived yet and Sparks is a former EMT/firefighter, she decided to stop and see how she could help.

At the scene, she saw that several vehicles had been involved, and a couple of bystanders were there. The driver of a small, silver sedan – which was nearly split in half and very badly damaged – was standing outside her vehicle, shivering in the freezing wind. No one else was paying much attention to her. She was about 20 years old. Sparks asked her a few questions, but she had a far-away, distant look and was slow to respond.

Sparks could tell that the young woman was in shock. She asked if anyone had something warm; someone brought a jacket as well as a large, vehicle sun shield. Sparks wrapped the woman in the items and then realized that her eyes were fluttering. She called out to the others that the woman was about to faint, and just then she did. With the help of the others, Sparks got the woman safely onto the ground.

Relying on her previous medical training, Sparks instructed someone to raise the woman’s legs while she checked her breathing and pulse. She then began a sternal rub. After a few minutes, the woman regained consciousness. Sparks comforted her and tried to keep her out of the wind while waiting for emergency personnel to arrive. Eventually, she relinquished the young woman’s care to them and continued on her way.

Although the cause of this particular accident is unknown, Sparks says she has seen far too many wrecks on the roads during her eight years as a professional truck driver.

“People these days just seem like they want to get where they’re going, without regard for their own safety or the people they’re sharing the road with,” she said. “People need to understand they’re not the only ones on the road… they are sharing the highway with others. If they cause an accident, not only does it affect them, but it affects so many other people and all their families. A lot of these accidents are preventable.”

For her efforts on that frigid morning, TCA has presented Sparks with a certificate, patch, lapel pin, and truck decal. Transco Lines, Inc., also received a certificate acknowledging that one of its drivers is a Highway Angel.

TCA’s Highway Angel program is sponsored by EpicVue. Since the program’s inception in August 1997, hundreds of drivers have been recognized as Highway Angels for the unusual kindness, courtesy, and courage they have shown others while on the job.