Saskatchewan Trucking Association

June 23, 2006

Regina Truck Driver, Leonard Dobranski was returning to the warehouse after a busy week. Near Bow Island, traffic was slowed due to construction. Without warning, Leonard's truck was rear ended by another transport.

Leonard heard the screams of the other driver and instantly reacted without hesitation and realization of his own injuries. He grabbed his fire extinguisher and ran to the other truck which had come to rest in a nearby field, and was on fire. When he got to the unit, he tried to open the driver's door but was unsuccessful, so he broke the window with the extinguisher. He quickly saw that the driver was pinned and his legs were on fire. Leonard passed him the extinguisher and the driver was able to put out the blaze. Leonard was joined by a construction flagman and together they were able to extinguish the fire under the cab, which at that point had worked it's way up thru the floorboards.

Police and ambulance services arrived and both Leonard and the driver were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment of their injuries. The RCMP, later reported to Leonard's supervisor that if Leonard had not reacted the way he did, they would more than likely be dealing with a fatality.

Leonard has been a driver for 31 years. We are very proud at Access Distribution to have Leonard as part of our Team.

November 20, 2005

Kevin Harris, a Kamloops, B.C., trucker who fought off flames and defied danger so that he could provide comfort to a dying fellow driver he had met only 10 minutes earlier, is the recipient of this year's Bridgestone Firestone Canadian Truck Hero Award.

Mr. Harris, a driver for Valley Roadways Ltd., was traveling along Highway 5A between Merritt and Kamloops last August, trailing Peter Mills, a Lamont, Alta., trucker with whom he had shared coffee at a truck stop only moments before. Mr. Mills's truck suddenly veered out of control and rolled into a ditch, crushing the cab and pinning Mr. Mills's arms and legs.

Rushing from his truck, Mr. Harris climbed into the crushed cab and valiantly attempted to rescue the gravely injured driver. While rescue efforts were futile, Mr. Harris remained at Mr. Mills's side, putting a pillow behind his neck, wiping his face, holding his hand and trying to make him as comfortable as possible in the dire circumstances.

With fires igniting around him from dripping diesel fuel that threatened to engulf the entire truck at any moment, Mr. Harris used fire extinguishers from the two trucks to quell the fires, enabling him to stay with Mr. Mills. He was able to remain until Mr. Mills drew his last breath, at which point Mr. Harris left the cab, just before it was engulfed in flames.

"I thank God every day that man was there with him," said Mr. Mills's wife, Katrina. "I'm so happy that he was there, and that Pete wasn't there by himself."

Mr. Mills's father David told The Canadian Press following the accident: "To risk that truck going up in flames anytime, and he (Mr. Harris) stayed there. He really deserves some kind of commendation for this."


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