MISSING GA MAN RESCUED BY CROSSVILLE TRUCKER ON I-40 AT WESTEL

Last Sunday morning Crossville trucker Gene Johnson was heading east on I-40 in his big rig when he came upon a Caddillac sitting sideways across the three-lane portion of the interstate. Other cars were driving right on by the car using the far left lane and even the emergency pull-off lane.  Johnson pulled his big rig off to the side of the interstate and walked to the car in the middle of traffic.  There he found an elderly gentleman sitting in the car a bit disorientated. After helping the man get his car out of traffic and onto the side of the interstate, Mr. Johnson questioned the driver who he knew only as David.  In short time Mr. Johnson knew that something wasn’t right with David.  Johnson called 911 to get county deputies and an ambulance dispatched to the scene.  After running the gentleman’s driver’s license, deputies learned that 76-year-old David was a missing person reported out of Jackson Georgia. He had just been released from the VA hospital after being treated for a stroke. David was a retired Army 1st Sergeant.  His family was contacted who informed the officers David was also suffering from dementia.  The gentleman was taken to the Cumberland County Justice Center until his son arrived from Chattanooga to pick him up.  Mr. Johnson said ‘David’ was the nicest man he’d met in a while and he was glad he was able to assist in getting him out of the middle of the busy interstate and on his way back home safely. No doubt the family was glad Mr. Johnson took the time to help get David back home too and avoid a potential tragedy had another motorist crashed into Davids’s car sitting sideways in the middle of the interstate.