Trucking Hero: “Something inside me made me stop.”

LOUISVILLE, KY — American truck driver Mike Schiotis, his voice quaking and eyes tearing up, told a group of trucking journalists last night in Louisville how Jesus helped him the night he saved a passers-by’s life last November.

The reason Schiotis was talking to the journalists? He won the annual Goodyear Highway Hero Award and the award is presented at the annual meeting of the Truck Writers of North America. (TWNA), which coincides with the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS), in Louisville, Kentucky.

The reason Schiotis invoked Jesus? Because he was scared that he was going to die.

 

Driver Mike Schiotis recieves his award from GoodYear.

Schiotis, a driver for Panther Expedited Services Inc., was en route to his destination in Pennsylvania when he noticed a female pedestrian with a man walking closely behind her. He slowed to take a closer look and realized the man had a gun.

That’s when the fear hit. He told the group of journalists that he had one hand on the gear shift and thinking that everything would be okay if he just kept driving “But,” he said, “something inside me made me stop.”

When he pulled over, the woman pounded on his door and yelled for help. He also realized she was bleeding.

And then the otherwise soft-spoken driver jumped out of his truck and put himself between the woman and her assailant.

He helped the woman into his rig, got into his cab and drove away. The gun-wielder jumped into his car and gave chase.

Schiotis drove on to the Interstate and informed the police. He CB’d other truckers, one of which pulled his 18-wheeler alongside Schiotis and prevented the gunman from getting close to Schiotis’s rig.

State troopers finally caught up with the vehicles and nabbed the gunman.

In his speech thanking the Goodyear sponsors and the truck writers, Schiotis says only his faith in Jesus gave him the inner peace and confidence he needed to take such heroic measures.

Although Schiotis was named Hero of the Year, three other drivers were present at the dinner and were lauded for their heroics.

Mike Farnell, of Shelburne, Ontario, Canada pulled a semi-conscious injured driver from a wrecked car, moments before it blew up.

James Neumeier of Russia, Ohio, dove into a small lake and smashed his way into a submerged car in time to save the life of the 65-yearr-old driver.

And John Crozman of Minnesota rescued an elderly couple who had been trapped in a snowbound automobile in the middle of wicked snowstorm.

For his heroics, Schiotis received a specially designed ring, a plaque and a cash award. Farnell, Neumeier and Crozman received plaques and a cash awards.

 


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