LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (AP) – Firefighters pulled the driver of a semi-truck to safety Friday following a crash that left the vehicle dangling over a bridge across the Ohio River.
The three-vehicle crash on the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge connecting Louisville, Kentucky to southern Indiana was reported around noon, Louisville Fire Chief Brian O’Neill said during a press conference. One other person involved in the crash was immediately taken to the hospital and crews set up to rescue the truck driver from the cab.
In April 2020, a truck driver was rescued after a gust of wind caused his tractor-trailer cab to go off the side of the High Rise Bridge in Chesapeake.
In the crash on the bridge going over the Ohio River, it took about 40 minutes to set up a rope system and get someone ready to rappel down to the cab and hook the driver up to a safety harness and bring her out safely, O’Neill said. She was taken to the hospital as a precaution.
“They train for this type of stuff all the time,” he said about the rescue company. “This is very much a worst case scenario.”
Firefighters were prepared and the operation went smoothly because of their training, he said.
“These were some serious heroes here,” he said. “This was some really professional, well practiced, well trained stuff. They got right out there, got right to her.”
Louisville Metro Police are investigating the crash and said the bridge remained closed Friday afternoon in both directions.
A safety inspection of the bridge will be conducted after all vehicles are removed, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said.
