SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH — Keith Rahn was only about 20 minutes into a stop at the Sapp Bros. Travel Center in the Salt Lake City area on August 10 when he walked outside to give his German Shepherd some air and came around a corner to find a man and woman in a heated argument that suddenly turned violent.
“I saw these two people. They were arguing. It was like a verbal altercation, and all of a sudden, out of nowhere, he just slapped the daylights out of this girl,” Rahn said.
Rahn, a Forward Air driver and U.S. Army veteran, stepped in immediately. He told the man to stop and warned him he would release his German Shepherd if he did not back away. The man puffed up and stood his ground. Rahn warned him again.
“He just stood there like fuming mad and puffing his chest up and all that stuff. I told him once again, back up or I’m turning my dog loose, because I have a massive German Shepherd,” Rahn said.
The man eventually walked to his car and left. Rahn then brought the woman to his truck and stayed with her while she arranged for a ride. He offered to contact law enforcement on her behalf, but when she declined he respected her decision and focused on making sure she was safe.
The woman nominated Rahn for the Truckload Carriers Association’s Highway Angel Award. In her nomination she wrote that he did not simply witness what was happening and move on. “He interceded to stop the assault and protect me from further harm,” she wrote. She also credited his dog with helping her feel safe in a frightening moment. “The presence of both Mr. Rahn and his dog made a difference. In a moment when I was frightened and overwhelmed, having them there provided an immediate sense of safety and comfort.”
Rahn, who has been a professional driver for approximately nine years, said his response came down to a simple principle. “I was just trying to make sure she was OK,” he said.
The TCA Highway Angel program has recognized nearly 1,500 professional truck drivers for extraordinary kindness, courtesy, and courage since 1997.
Interviews courtesy of TCA.
📸 Image(s) used under fair use for news reporting.
