A normal day on the job turned into an opportunity to help save a life for American Central Transport driver Barry Byram of Jonesboro, Ark. On the afternoon of July 24, a car spun out of control on Interstate 40 at Brownsville, Tenn. Byram’s truck was one of the first vehicles on the scene.
Byram crawled through the back window of the rolled-over Volkswagen to find the injured driver had a weak pulse. Byram worried that if he didn’t keep her awake, she would die. Drawing from training he received during 12 years in a military helicopter unit, he took off his shirt and used it as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. He also gathered identification, medications and other vital information that would help police and medical professionals later.
When Tennessee State Trooper Bob Miller arrived on the scene, Byram shrugged off his actions, saying it was just part of his job. “I was always raised to respect people and help them out,” Byram said. “I’ve told my children that they should strive to do something for someone every day, even if it is just opening a door.”
Miller thought otherwise and contacted American Central Transport, a truckload carrier based in Little Rock, Ark., to credit Byram for his heroism. “We should all be so fortunate to have a driver like Byram and others that have more skills than driving a truck,” said Robert Dinning, evening planner at American Central Transport. “These are special people who can take charge of good and bad situations.”
