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January 24, 2001 11:26 AM, EST

Four professional truck drivers who risked themselves to help others have been selected as finalists for the 2000 Goodyear North America Highway Hero Award.

They were chosen from a group of 22 state heroes announced in November (12-11, p. 24).

The finalists are:

li>David Zorn of Forest Park, Ga., who stopped when he saw a Georgia state police officer being attacked on the side of the road. The suspect had pinned the officer and was trying to get his gun. When Zorn arrived, the assailant fled. Zorn pursued him, caught him and held him until additional police arrived. He is a driver for Consolidated Freightways ().

Brent Shupe of Charleston, Ill., who rescued two female passengers from a car that had caught on fire after colliding with his truck. The fire began to engulf both vehicles, and as he was trying to free the elderly male driver, Shupe was thrown against a guardrail when his truck’s refrigeration unit exploded. Despite his burns on his arms, Shupe, a driver for Midwest Coast Transport, succeeded in dragging the driver away from the car seconds before it exploded.

Edward Bowlin of Black Mountain, N.C., who rescued a woman being attacked by her estranged husband. After knocking the woman down with his car, the husband began stabbing her in the chest. Bowlin tackled the assailant and pinned him to the ground until police arrived. The woman, mother of two young children, survived. Bowlin is a driver for Payne Trucking.

Carl Tafua of San Jose, Calif., who noticed an 8-year-old girl screaming at a man who was appeared to be chasing her. The girl ran toward the truck and Tafua took her in. When the child said the man had kidnapped her, Tafua noted the license plate number of the fleeing suspect, and directed his dispatcher to call the police. The suspect was later arrested and charged with kidnapping. Tafua is a driver for Viking Freight.

For the full story, see the Jan. 22 print edition of Transport Topics. .