The Truckload Carriers Association’s latest Highway Angel is Jonathan “AZ” Atzenhofer, a professional truck driver for FTC Transportation Inc., of Oklahoma City. At about 6:30 a.m. on Feb. 20, Atzenhofer had just spent the night at a truck plaza on Interstate 70 in Watkins, Colo. He was hoping to eat a hot breakfast before getting back out on the road and stood outside the front door of a restaurant, waiting for it to open.
A second truck driver waited with him. Suddenly, a man approached them, breathing heavily. Atzenhofer told the other driver, “He doesn’t sound good.” They asked the man if he was alright. “I’m ok,” he responded – before collapsing to the ground.
Fortunately, Atzenhofer knows CPR because of his military background. The other truck driver also was familiar with CPR. Atzenhofer began chest compressions while the other driver performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the man. They continued, keeping him alive until paramedics arrived and took over.
Atzenhofer, who has been driving since 1988, has aided several other motorists in the past. “I usually try to [help out] if it’s safe for me to stop,” he said. “In this case, I was just in the right place at the right time.”
