Road Stories

Adrian Emerson was traveling along I-360, near South Boston, Va., a stretch of road he travels often for the Griffin Pipe dedicated account in Lynchburg, when the pick-up truck ahead of him began to swerve.

"I was already starting to slow down because we were going downhill," he recounts. "The pick-up truck was pulling a trailer that had a tractor on it. It was too much weight for the small pick-up to handle and the truck was swerving left and right. I knew he wasn't going to regain control."

The pick-up truck lost control, veering off the road and landed upside down in the bottom of a seven-foot ditch. Emerson immediately pulled his rig safely over to the shoulder and went to help whoever was driving.

"When I got to the truck the driver had hit his head hard. Luckily, he was wearing his seat belt. But he was upside down and the right side of the pick-up was smashed and he couldn't get the driver door open."

To get the driver out, Emerson took his wench bar and broke the window and opened the door. He then called 911 and sat with the driver until the sheriff arrived.

Emerson has stopped for accidents two other times in his driving career. Once to offer a fire extinguisher, but has never been the first one on the scene.

"I guess I was just in the right place at the right time. It would have been hard for anyone to see the pick-up upside down in the deep ditch."

The driver is fortunate that Adrian Emerson was traveling behind him and able to help. We are proud of him and all of the other drivers who are often the first ones at the scene of an accident.