Four professional truck drivers who set aside their focus on load transport to come to the emergency aid of others have been selected as finalists for the Goodyear North America Highway Hero Award.

On March 25, the drivers will be introduced to the trucking industry at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, KY, and one of the drivers will be named the 2003 Goodyear North America Highway Hero.

The finalists are:

• David Dunham, Fitchburg, MA, who pulled a driver from his burning truck.
• Derrick Harris, Hopewell, VA, who rescued a man who had been set on fire, put out the fire and gave police the information necessary to catch the man’s attacker.
• Joe Sines, Horse Shoe Run, WV, who pulled two children and their seriously injured mother from an overturned van. The woman later died at the hospital.
• Anne Spriggs, Willow Springs, MO, who saved the life of a 5-year-old child who was having a grand mal seizure.

"Stories like these make us all thankful that there are courageous individuals such as professional truck drivers on our roadways," said Steve McClellan, Goodyear's vice president for Commercial Tire Systems. "In the 21 years since the inception of the Goodyear Highway Hero program, we have heard about hundreds of truck drivers who placed themselves in harm's way to save someone else, and we believe it is important that they be recognized publicly."

The finalists were culled from nominees throughout the United States and Canada. A panel of judges, consisting of members of the trucking and tire trade media, will select the 2003 Goodyear North America Highway Hero.

To nominate a professional truck driver for the 2004 Goodyear Highway Hero Award, visit www.highwayhero.net.