A truck driver in Louisville, Kentucky will have one hell of a story to tell after his rig crashed through the barriers lining the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge on Friday. Louisville Metro Police stated that the Sysco tractor-trailer was involved in a collision before the cab was left dangling 70 feet over the Ohio River. Law enforcement hasn’t confirmed exactly how the semi went over the edge.
WDRB reports that the driver is safe and sound after a harrowing rescue. Fire rescue personnel repelled down from a ladder truck on the road deck, pulled the driver from the cab and hoisted them to safety. The bridge was closed to traffic in both directions after the incident. It’s difficult to believe that anyone was still inside because of how visibly damaged the truck’s front end was. The smashed hood was clinging on by a thread.
I can’t describe how lucky the driver is that their truck didn’t fall into the river below. It’s become a dramatic Hollywood cliche for a vehicle to dangle on the edge of a cliff or bridge precariously. In fiction, the protagonist is almost always able to escape unscathed before certain doom. Truck drivers, unfortunately, don’t have the ability to put on plot armor before they climb behind the wheel.