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October 28, 1999 9:45 AM, EDT

A trucker’s tale — more bitter than sweet — unfolded in the pre-dawn hours of Oct. 3, when a woman pulled a big rig to safety as her unconscious husband drew his last breaths in the driver’s seat.

	Osbun Family
	Bruce Osbun died at the wheel of his tractor-trailer, which his wife, Betty, guided to safety.

Bruce and Betty Osbun, team drivers for Zimmerman Trucking of Mifflintown, Pa., were driving west on Interstate 70 and had just crossed into Indiana. It was 4 a.m., and Bruce had been at the wheel for about 20 minutes, Betty said.

The couple was headed for a truck stop in hopes of finding a doctor. Bruce was experiencing shortness of breath, which he attributed to indigestion. But his self-diagnosis turned out to be tragically wrong.

Just one month short of his 50th birthday, Bruce suffered a heart attack. As he slipped into unconsciousness, the truck, bound for California with 18,000 pounds of Macy’s goods, veered toward a slope at the side of the Interstate, near the exit for a truck stop, Betty said.

For the full story, see the Oct. 25 print edition of Transport Topics. .