GANANOQUE, Ont. — The Ontario Trucking Association has established a scholarship endowment of $40,000 for children of Ontario truck drivers who are killed or seriously injured on the job in honour of David Virgoe, a truck driver who died last week in a crash caused by street racers on Highway 400.

Virgoe has been lauded a true hero since the crash because he directed his tanker off the highway to prevent it from crossing into oncoming traffic.

“Mr. Virgoes selfless act and the kind of person he was epitomizes all that is good about the trucking industry. He was a model trucker, always willing to stop and provide assistance at roadside, a father, a grandfather and a decent human being,” said David Bradley, president of the OTA. “He, like all truck drivers, faced risks every day he was out on the road. Sadly he made the supreme sacrifice because of the reckless actions of a few others. But, in doing so he saved the lives of others.”

The perpetual scholarship fund will be administered by the OTA Education Foundation, established by the association to provide scholarships to children of trucking industry families for off-setting the cost of post-secondary education.