ARLINGTON, Va. — A Werner Enterprises truck driver is being praised for saving the life of a 7-year-old girl.

Vicki Carter and her mother, Pam, were traveling along I-20 near Birmingham, Ala., in February when their car ran off the road and hit a sign. Pam jumped out of the car and tried to flag down help for her daughter.

Only trucker Dave Nelson stopped.

He moved Pam Carter to safety as she explained that her daughter was still in the car and needed help.

Vicki was not breathing and had no pulse. Nelson asked permission from her mother to begin CPR, then swiftly pulled Vicki from the car and laid her on the ground on top of his coat. He learned that Vicki had a heart murmur, just like his own daughter. Nelson performed CPR until paramedics arrived.

“It was so amazing to see this big trucker hold my little girl and do CPR. He kept me calm the whole time and the kindness he showed me really kept me together,” remembered Pam.

Nelson said the time seemed to "take forever, but "they told me it was only about five minutes.”

Once Vicki was safe with the rescue squad, he continued on his route toward Dallas.

Since then, the Carter and Nelson families have stayed in touch regularly. Vicki regularly texts the man she calls “Trucker Dave."

“Dave Nelson is the reason my baby is alive,” said Pam Carter. “He is a hero and a wonderful man whom we love and admire.”