Goodyear Names Winner of 29th Highway Hero Award Truck
Driver Rescued Woman From Gun-Wielding Attacker
• The winner of this year's Goodyear Highway Hero
Award is Mike Schiotis, a truck driver from Spring Hill,
Tenn.
• Schiotis was selected from a field of four Highway
Hero Award finalists.
• The Highway Hero Award honors professional truck
drivers for rescues and roadside assistance.
LOUISVILLE, Ky., March 22, 2012 - The Goodyear Tire &
Rubber Company has named its 29th North America Highway
Hero: a Tennessee-based truck driver who rescued a woman
from a gun-wielding attacker.
Chosen from among four finalists, Mike Schiotis of Spring
Hill, Tenn., today accepted the 2011 Goodyear North America
Highway Hero Award during the Mid-America Trucking Show,
which is taking place this week in Louisville, Ky.
Schiotis, who works for Seville, Ohio-based Panther
Expedited Services Inc., was driving to his destination in
Pennsylvania on Nov. 1, 2011, when he saw a woman walking
with a man close behind her. Thinking they were injured, he
slowed down and noticed that the man was pointing a gun at
the woman. Schiotis stopped his truck and the woman began
pounding on his door, screaming "Help me! He's going to
kill me!" Schiotis jumped out of his truck and positioned
himself between the woman, who was bleeding from the head,
and her assailant. He helped the woman into his rig and
decided to take her to the next truck stop.
The gun-carrying man got back in his car and began to
follow Schiotis' truck. Schiotis pulled into a truck stop,
but decided it was safer to continue down the highway.
Meanwhile, he notified the Pennsylvania State Highway
Patrol, then used his CB radio to tell other truckers in
the area about what was transpiring. Another truck driver,
who was behind Schiotis' 18-wheeler, heard him and took
action. Together, they drove side-by-side, weaving back and
forth to prevent the gunman from closing in on Schiotis'
tractor. This gave troopers time to catch up with the man
and apprehend him.
"We are grateful to Mike Schiotis for his quick thinking
and brave actions," said Phillip Kane, vice president of
Goodyear Commercial Tire Systems. "He literally put himself
'in the line of fire,' and in all probability, prevented a
tragedy from taking place. Mike's decision to interject
himself into this dangerous situation is a powerful example
of the selflessness and professionalism exhibited by many
of today's professional truck drivers. Because of his
action, a life was saved. For this, Mike Schiotis has
earned the right to be called a hero."
Schiotis and three other truck drivers were selected as
finalists for the 2011 North America Highway Hero Award.
Other finalists included:
John Crozman of Black Hawk, S.D., a driver for Long Haul
Trucking in Albertville, Minn. While driving down a rest
stop access road near Summit, S.D., on Feb. 3, 2011, in the
middle of a severe snowstorm, Crozman noticed a candle
flickering inside a car that was parked on the side of the
highway. Fighting sub-zero winds, Crozman walked to the car
and found an elderly couple inside. Ill-equipped for the
dangerous weather, they had been trapped in the car for
more than four hours. Crozman led the shivering man and
woman to his truck and let them spend the night in his warm
sleeper cab. The next day, he made sure they were safe and
their car was rescued before continuing along his route.
Melville Farnell of Shelburne, Ontario, a driver for
Tupling Farms Produce Inc., also based in Shelburne.
Farnell was making a delivery on May 13, 2011, when a car
that was traveling in the opposite direction veered into
the path of his truck and slammed into it head-on. The
impact caused Farnell's tractor-trailer to jack knife.
Diesel fuel began leaking onto the highway. Though shaken,
Farnell approached the car, which had come to stop in a
ditch. He observed a semi-conscious male in the driver's
seat. Farnell broke the driver's side window and pulled the
much heavier motorist to safety just minutes before the car
exploded.
John Neumeier of Russia, Ohio, a driver for Bohman
Trucking, also based in Russia. Neumeier was loading his
milk delivery truck around 9 p.m. on Nov. 14, 2011, when a
car driving down a nearby road missed a curve and plunged
into an eight-foot-deep pond. As the car began to sink,
Neumeier spotted the driver's cell phone light. Knowing he
had little time to waste, he grabbed a large wrench, dove
into the pond, and beat on the driver's side window until
it broke. Neumeier pulled the driver, a 65-year-old man,
out by his feet and hauled him to shore. The man was taken
away by ambulance.
"Each of these finalists is a Highway Hero in his own
right," said Kane. "Each man rescued someone who was in
life-threatening peril. We are honored to recognize these
selfless gentlemen for their acts of courage and
compassion."
Founded by Goodyear in 1983, the Highway Hero program
honors professional truck drivers for the often unnoticed
rescues and roadside assistance they provide as their jobs
take them across the United States and Canada.
To nominate a driver for the 2012 Goodyear North America
Highway Hero Award, click here. An independent panel of
judges will review nominations and help select next year's
honorees.
About Goodyear Commercial Tire Systems:
Goodyear Commercial Tire Systems offers a broad portfolio
of products and services to the commercial fleet industry,
including a full range of original equipment and
replacement tires; the fleetHQ portfolio of business
solutions, which includes the 24/7 fleetHQ Solution Center;
national programs; tire management tools; online
information; and problem-solving business solutions for
tomorrow's trucking fleets.www.goodyeartrucktires.com.
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