Kevin White of Square D lends a helping hand

CHARLOTTE, N.C., (Feb. 21, 2001) - Kevin White, the tire specialist for the No. 55 Square D Racing pit crew, helped save a woman's life on his way home from the Daytona 500. The crew member stopped his car to help after an automobile accident happened in front of him.

"My family and I were on our way home from Daytona pretty upset about Dale's (Earnhardt) death in the 500," said White. "It was about 6a.m. on Monday when a brown Honda traveling Southbound came across the median and struck a van traveling in front of our vehicle. Both cars started to spin and the van finally struck a tree.

"Immediately, we parked our cars, dialed 911 and ran to check on the people involved. After checking on the first car, we continued on to the van where the airbags had been released and there was a lot of smoke in the car. There was a little boy in the back really scared. The driver seemed to be only scraped, but the front passenger was having trouble breathing. I grabbed the boy out of the van, wrapped blankets around him and placed him in my vehicle. I assisted the passenger until the ambulance arrived, and then we then helped load everyone. The little boy was a race fan, so I gave him my Square D hat to keep his mind off what had happened."

The next day a letter was e-mailed to the Square D website thanking the sponsor for having such a great team. Robin Chaplain, a relative of one of the accident victims, wrote thanking Square D for helping her mother, the passenger in the van, who broke five broken ribs and punctured her lung.

"I just want to thank all of them from the bottom of my heart who took the time and cared enough to help. They are a great group of people."White (35), lives in Pittsville, Maryland with his 2 daughters and fiancée, Michelle.

-Lori Shuler