Palm Beach County Fire Rescue managed to hoist a truck driver out of the cab of a tractor-trailer dangling off a highway overpass.
The 18-wheeler nearly went over the side of the overpass on Florida State Road 91 at about 8 a.m. Saturday. The cab swayed in the air after the trailer snagged on a concrete barrier.
Firefighters secured the truck with “a grip hoist, grade 100 chain, and 6-inch vehicle strap cribbing, straps to keep the massively heavy vehicle from rolling any further forward,” fire officials posted on Facebook.
The trucker, who was not named by authorities, was rescued with a bucket at about 9:06 a.m. and then taken to a local hospital.
PBCFR posted a video of the rescue on social media.
Amazing video of rescue of trapped 18 wheeler driver, left hanging off the overhang from earlier today. Full Story on other sites. #AllHazardsAllTheTime pic.twitter.com/ckPWzHNf6h
— PBC Fire Rescue (@PBCFR) December 24, 2023
The truck was hauling scrap metal, and officials say wet conditions may have caused the driver to lose control while leaving Florida State Road 91.
“Weather may have played a role in this incident, as it was raining at the time of the crash,” PBCFR spokesman Capt. Tom Reyes told WPTV-TV.
In an earlier post regarding the incident, officials noted that the dangling cab caused two other crashes as drivers rubbernecked and recorded the scene on their smartphones.
Officials did not specify the condition of the trucker or the condition of those involved in the secondary car crashes.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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