Beaurepaires - 2009 Highway Hero

Tokoroa logger wins Highway Heroes Award

Tokoroa logging truck driver Simon Anania has won the 2009 Beaurepaires Highway Heroes Award.

He was presented with a $5000 cheque and a trophy by Hon. Steven Jovce, Minister of Transport in Wellington today.

The towering Kenworth driver, who works for Alan Forbes Transport Ltd, was selected from six nominees for this year’s award which recognises acts of bravery, heroism or humanity performed by professional truck, bus and coach drivers in the course of their work.

Simon put his first aid training into practice when he came upon a disaster scene at 1.30 am while heading out for his first load of the day on the highway between Tokoroa and Mangakino.

He pulled up behind a truck with its hazard lights flashing, only to discover that it had been involved in an accident with a motorbike.

The truck driver, who Simon knew, was still in the cab and Simon said that from his first aid training, he was well aware of the effects of shock that his colleague would be feeling.

Having assessed that there was no immediate danger to the driver he then went to find the motorbike rider. To his shock he discovered two teenagers, checked for pulses and found they had both died. Out of respect, he covered them, before moving both trucks into a safe position on the road to allow access for emergency vehicles arriving on the scene.

Simon then returned to the truck driver and, after giving him his jacket, encouraged him to get out of the truck.

“He is an experienced driver who has been driving for many years. You never know when things like this will happen. He’s a good person and accidents like this deeply affect everyone,” he said.

Simon also praised the work of the Police at the scene. “Often people only see one side of the Police, but the human side they display at an accident is tremendous.”

Born and raised in Dargaville, Simon moved to Tokoroa in 1989 after several years driving stock trucks in the north. A temporary job took him to the central North Island timber town; he liked it and with his wife and four daughters, decided to stay.

He says it’s a town where people care about other people on the road and will always stop and lend a hand. It’s a creed he shares. “I never drive by any accident,” he said.

The Beaurepaires Highway Heroes Award is open to any professional truck, bus or coach driver who performs brave, heroic or humanitarian acts in the course of their work. Heroes can be nominated by anyone through any Beaurepaires store or the local Police station or click here to fill in an online entry.

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