GREENVILLE, Texas — As a long-haul truck driver, Tony Doughty is on a tight schedule, but he says when he travels across America, a lot can slow him down, most notably himself.
“I don’t care about that clock,” Doughty said. “No one’s going to die if that load don’t get there by that time, so if I can pull over and help somebody and make sure they get home to their family, then I’ll do that.”
Doughty, who also serves as a volunteer firefighter, says he often comes across accidents on the road.
And oftentimes, he stops, just like he did in November when a car lost control right in front of him on the interstate in Ohio.
“I used my 18-wheeler to block [the road] until the fire department got there, and I got him out of the car, made sure the car wasn’t going to catch on fire cause it was smoking pretty good,” Doughty said. “And then I made sure he was OK and just sat there with him until the EMTs and stuff arrived.”
Incredibly, being a good Samaritan has become a regular part of Doughty’s job.
In fact, on that same trip, on his way home to Greenville, Doughty came upon a traffic jam. Smoke from a grass fire had clouded the road, and the flames were spreading quickly.
“So I got my fire extinguisher and my leaf blower and I got to work,” he said. “I had the fire put out before the fire department got there.”
For helping, Doughty was named a highway angel by the Truckload Carriers Association.
Even though he has places to be and his job depends on it, Doughty says he can’t help but help.
He says we’re all going somewhere, often in a hurry. But when we slow down and notice the needs around us, we can get where we truly want to be.
“If we all help each other, it’d be a lot better than what we have out there right now,” he said. “America would be so strong.”
In other words, we’re all capable of delivering hope.
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