Trucker Saves 11 People From Hurricane!
Truck driver Michael Dorsey transformed his rig into a lifeboat, rescuing a group people from the perilous floodwaters of Hurricane Helene.
For this act of bravery, Dorsey was named a Highway Angel by the Truckload Carriers Association. According to HighwayAngel.org, Dorsey was in Erwin, Tennessee loading his flatbed trailer when floodwaters started to rise. The nearby Nolichucky River began to overflow, causing a group of ten people to seek refuge and ask Dorsey if they could climb on his trailer. The group got on the flatbed and a woman Dorsey called “Miss Bertha” joined him in the cab.
“I said sure, so I let everybody get on my trailer,” Dorsey told the TCA. Eventually, the floodwaters were too strong and forced everyone on the flatbed… that is, until the raging current separated the truck from the trailer and caused it to capsize. The group clung onto anything they could to stay afloat, from pieces of Dorsey’s haul floating in the water to bushes still above water.
“The most terrifying part was just watching the water come, rise as we were just sitting, not knowing what to expect,” Dorsey said. Out of the group of 12 who were on the truck, 6 survived and were rescued by emergency crews. Unfortunately, Miss Bertha’s body was not found.
“I can’t hardly sleep because I keep thinking about Miss Bertha and all of the people that died,” Dorsey admitted to TCA. Since the flood, he has experienced pain in his head and neck area from being knocked out at some point in the incident.
Dorsey is a former Marine, who now drives for Mercer Transportation in Louisville, Kentucky. Since losing his truck in the flood, he has been in contact with his insurance company to work something out.
“If I wouldn’t have been there, those people that survived wouldn’t have made it—it would have been impossible. God had me there for a reason.”
Read about more Highway Angels here:
Heroic Trucker Awarded for Extinguishing Highway Fire
Trucker Saves Caged Children From Human Traffickers
Michigan Trucker Saves Toddler’s Life
