The Truckload Carriers Association has named Stuart Hochfelder, a professional truck driver for ABF Freight System Inc. as a Highway Angel for helping a fellow driver through a medical emergency.
It was Nov. 5 at about dinner time, and Hochfelder., of Sauk Village, Ill., was checking into his Kansas City hotel to begin his mandatory rest period when a fellow ABF driver, Charles Binford, called the front desk, stating he didn’t feel good. Overhearing the conversation, Hochfelder asked for more information and discovered that Binford had a burning sensation in his chest and shortness of breath.
Hochfelder, who was one of the first 100 EMT-Paramedics to be certified in the state of Illinois during the mid-1970s, immediately recognized the signs of a heart attack. He convinced Binford to get dressed and kept him calm while accompanying him to the hospital, where it was indeed confirmed that Binford had experienced a mild heart attack.
“Once you have the knowledge, you have the knowledge,” says Hochfelder, who no longer maintains his EMT-Paramedic certification. “You continue to live up to the oath, whether you’re practicing or not.”
