Remarkably Swift Crane Rescue Averts Disaster for Semi-Truck Driver Hanging from Bridge

      Louisville Metro Police Department

      Get The Drive’s daily newsletter

      The Louisville, Kentucky, Fire Department responded over the weekend to rescue a truck driver who was trapped in the cab of his semi-truck, precariously hanging over the edge of a bridge. The details surrounding the driver’s crash remain unclear, but the cab of his truck came to rest perilously on the concrete barrier of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge spanning the Ohio River. A frightening 911 call and a dramatic rescue unfolded thereafter.

      The recording of the 911 call was shared with local news outlets. It’s intense, yet the stranded driver appeared relatively calm under the circumstances. “Will you guys please help me, I’m about to … I’m about to fall down from the bridge,” he informed the 911 dispatcher. “I’m just hanging over the bridge. I don’t wanna die.”

      Reports indicate that the driver was trapped in the cab for 18 minutes while awaiting the arrival of emergency services. The 911 dispatcher stayed on the line with him until help arrived. While 18 minutes might not seem like a long wait in a restaurant, it could feel like an eternity when you're more than 300 feet above ground, with just a windshield and a seatbelt separating you from a potentially fatal drop. It provides ample time to contemplate the worst and the consequences of every movement that could jeopardize the cab's stability. Consequently, the driver asked the dispatcher for a favor.

      “Please, if I … if I don’t survive, can you just leave the recording for my family, too?”

      Fortunately, the worst did not occur; the cab remained connected to the trailer, and the driver did not fall. When the rescue team arrived, they lowered a crew member to the cab using a rope from a fire truck’s boom ladder, who then secured the driver and brought him to safety. Despite earlier panic, the driver remained composed once assistance reached him.

      “Once our firefighter got into the cab with him, he was great,” LFD Chief Brian O’Neill told WHAS11.

      Aside from the emotional distress of anticipating a deadly fall, the driver fortunately suffered no physical injuries. He was taken to the hospital as a precaution and was released that same evening.

      Got tips? Send ’em to [email protected]