A Tennessee man, who spent dazed hours by a busy roadside after an accident, was rescued by a tractor trailer driver and his dog, according to a report from ABC 9.
Trucker Jacob Picklesimer came to the aid of the man he spotted in distress along a Polk County, Tennessee, highway, the report noted.
The man he helped, Neils Dixson, reportedly hit a rock while driving at approximately 50 mph and ended up flipping his vehicle along Highway 64.
Shortly after his vehicle overturned, it began to fill with smoke, prompting him to evacuate, according to a Breitbart report. Dixson lost his phone in his haste to exit his car, leaving him unable to call for assistance.
He was driving home after helping celebrate his father’s birthday, the report added. Dixson survived with just some broken bones and bruises but his dog Casper reportedly died from injuries sustained in the crash.
A photograph from the scene depicts Dixson’s car, seemingly flipped on its side. Another image captures a poignant moment of Dixson embracing his cherished pet.
“I completely lost touch of reality,” Dixson said. “I sat there with him on the side of the road until the sun came up.”
The accident occurred near where Highway 64 traverses the Ocoee River Gorge.
Despite heavy traffic on this highway, nobody stopped before Picklesimer, a driver for a Chattanooga, Tenn.-based U.S. Xpress, who noticed the distressed man and stopped to help him.
“I could tell he was stunned that someone finally stopped,” said Picklesimer. “I noticed that he was injured as he was standing up. Automatically, I could tell.”
A bond formed between the two men after the rescue, the report noted.
“I feel like I gained a friend also,” said Dixson. “You never know who you’re going to run into, especially at work.”
The Truckload Carriers Association honored Picklesimer August 14 by bestowing on him the title of a TCA Highway Angel.
“Congrats Jacob!” the organization said in a post to its Facebook.
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