It was an interesting afternoon for Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R).
Cuccinelli was on his way back to Richmond on Friday, after a meeting of his Human Trafficking Task Force in Staunton, when he and his driver Cory Chenard noticed a semi-truck with a flatbed trailer carrying a heavy load in front of them with an awful-smelling smoke coming from its rear.
They spotted the truck on I-64 near mile maker 160 in Louisa County, just east of Cross County Road.
"The truck was really burning some rubber," recalled Chenard.
Chenard said he pulled the car up along side of the semi and saw the back tires of the trailer engulfed in flames. It was clear the driver was not aware of the problem. Chenard honked his horn to get the driver's attention and Cuccinelli yelled to the driver out the window, convincing her to pull over.
As soon as they both came to a stop, the Attorney General went to assess the situation.
"I skipped by the cab back to the back of the truck and, sure enough, it was still on fire," he said.
Cuccinelli helped the driver out of the cab of the truck and then went in search of a fire extinguisher. After finding one he instructed Chenard to call for help and he ran to the back of the truck to help the driver put out the flames.
Cuccinelli said the truck's flatbed trailer, which was carrying a heavy load, was in rough shape.
"It looked like her brakes locked up and one of the wheels was burning," he said.
After extinguishing the fire, Cuccinelli and Chenard sat and waited with the driver until Louisa County emergency crews arrived. Cuccinelli said the driver was in serious pain from an injury unrelated to the fire. Louisa County Sheriffs also responded to the scene and confirmed Cuccinelli's story. The driver did not need to be taken to the hospital.
Cuccinelli said the driver told him that she had no clue her trailer was on fire.
"Given where it was it was hidden from her view, you know, even in the side mirrors she couldn't see flames," he said. "The flames were underneath."
Cuccinelli never got the driver's name and told me that she had no clue who he was. The plates on her rig were from Kentucky.
In addition to being the Attorney General, Cuccinelli is also the presumptive Republican nominee for Governor of Virginia.
I think he's still two fires short of Cory Booker.
Posted by: Mr_Sterling | 01/25/2013 at 09:40 PM
@ Mr.Sterling:
At least he didn't walk away from the scene, unlike the late Ted Kennedy.
Posted by: Brandon | 01/25/2013 at 10:32 PM
I would be happy to have him as our governor.
Posted by: Jennifer Hardy | 01/25/2013 at 10:41 PM
Good for them both. Truck Driver was lucky they came along. Heros!
Posted by: Paula | 01/25/2013 at 10:42 PM
According to my information the driver denied transport by the EMS crew on scene; no report was taken...seriously Ken.
Posted by: Mike | 01/25/2013 at 11:28 PM
Congratulations, Ken, you are a true hero and human being. Most politicians would, at most, have had their driver make a 911 call. You went above and beyond and not only stopped the truck, but helped put out the fire. With all the press about the imperious attitudes of people like Hillary and Biden it is refreshing to read about someone from the other side for a change. A man of the people and for the people. Thanks.
Posted by: Bert Smith | 01/25/2013 at 11:48 PM
Hey, one candidate saves FFX taxpayers $500million proving to the EPA that water isn't a pollutant AND saves a trucker her burning rig. The OTHER candidate wrestles alligators for money AND rents out the Lincoln Bedroom to Clinton donors. Really tough choice. LOL
Posted by: Ellie Lockwood | 01/26/2013 at 12:35 AM
Proud of you Mr. Cuccinelli. I plan to champaign and vote for you!
Posted by: Jean | 01/26/2013 at 12:38 AM
It is always nice to see a government official react quickly in an emergency. I am unsure why he needs a "Driver" however, especially during such tough economical times. It seems to me he should be able to drive himself, but that's a different story I guess.
Thank you for being there and reacting the way you did Mr. Cuccinelli!!
Posted by: Glen Allen | 01/26/2013 at 07:36 AM
I used to be a "driver" for the ag. Unless things have changed, and budgeting almost surely means they have not, a.driver is just an aide that goes to an event with the ag. Often they multi task, help at the event (it may be their job to be there too, if it is in their portfolio of programs), and the aide's driving lets the ag get critical work done on the road as well.
Posted by: BR | 01/26/2013 at 07:50 AM
It's "its" in the 2d sentence. Not "it's". Please fix.
Posted by: Newton Lemmon | 01/26/2013 at 10:24 AM
Mr. Cuccinelli also spearheaded the conviction of Medicare fraud in the country resulting in the fining of Abbott Labs to the tune of over 5 billion nationwide - 4.2 million of which is being returned to Virginia and used to enhance law enforcement to help keep us all safe. Now that's what an Attorney General should do!
Posted by: Rick Gilbert | 01/26/2013 at 10:37 AM
"It looked like her breaks locked up and one of the wheels was burning," he said.
I believe that should be "brakes."
Posted by: Juan Mendoza | 01/26/2013 at 11:00 AM
Sensationalist journalism with bad punctuation. Bravo. I can sensationalize a fairly mundane situation as well.
Proof reading saves lives!
Posted by: Dustin | 01/26/2013 at 11:14 AM
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2011-09-27/local/35276094_1_cuccinelli-thomas-haynesworth-dna-evidence
Thomas Haynesworth greets his great-niece Da'Niya Haynesworth,… (Jahi Chikwendiu/WASHINGTON…)Ads by Google
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RICHMOND — Thomas Haynesworth sorted mail and made copies early Tuesday at his clerical job in Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II’s office. Then Cuccinelli went to work for him.
In a vaulted courtroom, Cuccinelli passionately tried to convince a Virginia appeals court that Haynesworth is an innocent man. That the state made a mistake when Haynesworth was convicted of rape three decades ago. That his name should be cleared.
Then the two walked back to work.
“I’ll see you up there,” Cuccinelli told Haynesworth as he might any other colleague heading back to the grind.
The relationship between Virginia’s top law enforcement official and parolee is an unlikely one, born of one of the state’s most extraordinary legal cases. Cuccinelli, a law-and-order conservative Republican is a former state senator from Fairfax County who is known as a political bulldog. Haynesworth, 46, is a high school dropout who was arrested at 18.
“He’s an extraordinary guy,” Haynesworth said of Cuccinelli. “A total stranger put it on the line for me.”
Posted by: Larry Stine | 01/26/2013 at 11:19 AM
Looks like Virginia has a leader in it's ranks. Hope he makes it to DC. None there right now.
Posted by: Joker_jim | 01/26/2013 at 11:19 AM
Wait -- he didn't have people take photos of his heroism (*ala Corey Booker)? Imagine: A politician who did something WITHOUT thinking of the political or personal ramifications!
Posted by: MayaAyala | 01/26/2013 at 11:20 AM
If it were a Demorat he/she would have called for a study into the fire, and then would have had a commission formed to see if fire effects female drivers at an unfair rate, then would tell the driver, that he/she would like to help them, but UNION rules don't allow it....
Posted by: a | 01/26/2013 at 11:23 AM
Wait a tick... According to the loudmouth progressives, Ken Cuccinelli is supposedly this evil and nefarious Republican fat cat who would steal candy from children and push baby strollers down a long flight of stairs.
It can't be true that AG Cuccinelli is just a decent guy who is willing to stop and put himself in harm's way to help a fellow human being in need (something we all know that progressives are too busy to do), can it?
Nah. There was probably gold, or oil, or maybe candy for babies in the truck. After all, it's pretty obvious that progressives are excellent judges of character and integrity, right, Waters, Rangel, Nagin, Corzine, et. al?
Posted by: VulpesRex | 01/26/2013 at 11:28 AM
Very nice what a good deed!
kudos
Calming to have a person who won't create his own re enactment movie like some future Sec of State who endangered his own men for vanity.
Posted by: kamon cho | 01/26/2013 at 11:54 AM
Saw no mention of party in the article. Being from Maine, I had heard of Cuccinelli, but wasn't sure until halfway through the commments. Wonder if a Dem would have been handled the same way. Just sayin'...
JB
Posted by: Joe B. | 01/26/2013 at 11:56 AM
Notice no mention in the article he is a republican...if he were a democrat, it would mentioned many times throughout the article...which is poorly written/reported!
Posted by: Common Sense | 01/26/2013 at 12:19 PM
Why would the driver need help getting out of the cab? Very odd. Unrelated injury? Anyway, admirable, but not quite Corey Booker.
Posted by: Jack | 01/26/2013 at 12:23 PM
If the press would not have chosen sides, we'd be much better off, don't you agree?
Posted by: Common Sense | 01/26/2013 at 12:24 PM
I love the grammatical and spelling mistakes. I see this is from blogs.nbc12.com. NBC... why am I not surprised? Their blog writers appear to be as hopeless as their political news journalists!
Posted by: InformedNow | 01/26/2013 at 12:28 PM