A Virginia truck driver who saved the life of a person set on fire was named the Goodyear Highway Hero for 2004.

Derrick Harris, a driver for Schneider National Carriers, received a $10,000 U.S. Savings Bond as part of the Goodyear Highway Hero program, which recognizes professional truck drivers and the often unnoticed roadside assistance they provide while doing their jobs.

Harris had just left the Richmond, Va., area with a load that was headed to Knoxville, Tenn., in November 2003 when he noticed a fire near the side of the road. He drove to the person, stopped and secured his truck, then grabbed a blanket and cooler of water. He extinguished the fire by wrapping the person in the blanket, then soaked it with water to comfort the burn victim.

"When I first saw the flames, I thought it was a brush fire," says Harris, who lives in Hopewell, Va. "Then I noticed the fire was moving, and I realized it was a person. It seemed like something from TV or the movies, like it was a stunt man on fire."

Harris ran back to his truck and grabbed his fire extinguisher to put out a fire that had started in some surrounding trees. Then he stayed with the victim, trying to keep him conscious, while he called for help on his cell phone. Based on comments from the burn victim and others, Harris suggested to the responding local police that someone had deliberately set the man on fire. Police searched the woods and found a suspect within three hours who admitted the next day to setting the man on fire.

Though the victim suffered burns over 60 percent of his body, Harris' quick actions helped save him, and he was integral in finding the responsible party. "I just did what I had to do," Harris says.