After years as a trucker on the open road, Arlyn Satanek has seen just about everything. However, it only took 15 minutes for him to see people come together like never before.
With a winter storm approaching and sunlight slowly moving out of Western Pennsylvania, Satanek knew that it was time to scale back his traveling and exit the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
“The roads were beginning to get bad,” Satanek said. “I was thinking it was time to start backing it down a little bit.”
Shortly after, he received his confirmation when he heard a broadcast over his CB radio warning him of imminent weather-related backups just outside of Bedford County.
Satanek immediately knew it was time to start slowing down in the snowy conditions.
“I’m on by brakes as hard as I could be,” Satanek said. “As soon as I hit my brakes, I saw a truck wiping out.”
Prior to that Friday night, Satanek had seen many near-accidents, but nothing like what he was experiencing. The truck in front of him left a trail of debris, fuel and glass before nearly falling off the turnpike.
For a brief moment, Satanek was stuck, trying to process what he had witnessed.
“I’m sitting there in a daze and I realize people are running to the truck,” Satanek said.
Nearby drivers began getting out of their cars, rushing to help the driver of the truck, which was teetering off the freeway.
“They were just random people. They were stepping over debris and there was a good bit of us,” Satanek said.
With the possibility of a steep fall imminent, the would-be rescuers began forming a human chain to help pull the driver out of his cab, avoiding a very long drop.
“It was absolutely amazing,” Satanek said.
Fifteen minutes later, the driver was safely out of his truck and back on his feet.
“He was twisted in his cab pretty good,” Satanek said. “His saving grace was that there were a lot of trees on the hillside.”
Seeing complete strangers come together during the storm, if even for 15 minutes, was like nothing Satanek had never seen before.
“It helped remind us that we are all people and it is our responsibility to help other humans,” Satanek said.
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