Mike Nelson of Crawford Trucking has been named a Highway Angel by the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) after helping stranded motorists at a California rest area.

On the evening of May 21, Nelson was traveling through California after making a delivery when he stopped at a rest area along Interstate 40. There, he noticed a family whose vehicle had overheated while they were driving from Los Angeles to New York.

After initially checking whether he could help diagnose the problem, Nelson returned to his truck concerned about the travelers themsleves

“I went back to my truck and was starting to eat supper, and it was weighing real heavy on me,” Nelson recalled. “The Lord was speaking to me and told me to go back and check on them, see if they needed any food or water or anything.”

When he checked on them again, he learned they had been waiting for a tow truck and had run out of food and water.

“So I went back to my truck and got some snacks and some water,” he said. “They didn’t have anything.”

Nelson stayed with the family until the help arrived.

One of those motorists he had helped, Scott Morrison, later nominated Nelson for the Highway Angel recognition.

“Thank you,” Morrison wrote. “I’m not sure if Mike works for you, but if he does, he was very kind to us when our car broke down in California. He made sure we had water and any other necessities while we waited for AAA. His kindness was very appreciated.”

Nelson, who has been a professional driver since the mid-1990s, said he was surprised by the recognition.

“I certainly wasn’t expecting it,” he said.