Firefighters in Louisville, Kentucky, pulled off a daring rescue Sunday morning when they saved a truck driver from a terrifying situation. After an accident on Interstate 65, the cab of a semi-truck was left teetering over the edge of the elevated roadway, just south of the Kennedy Bridge. The highway sits between 15 to 20 feet over Interstates 64 and 71 in this area, making the rescue especially challenging, as explained by Capt. Donovan Sims of the Louisville Fire Department.
The dramatic scene unfolded as emergency crews arrived and a rescuer, securely harnessed to a rope system, descended into the precariously balanced cab. Captivating video footage captured as both the rescuer and the driver were hoisted to safety, concluding a heart-racing operation which took approximately 30 minutes. Although no injuries were reported, the driver was nonetheless taken to the hospital as a preventative measure.
In the aftermath, the Louisville Metro Police Department shared several 911 calls connected to the incident. One call featured the panicked voice of the truck driver pleading for help. “Will you guys please help me, I’m about to … I’m about to fall down from the bridge,” the driver could be heard saying in clear distress. “I’m just hanging over the bridge, I don’t want to die.”
Throughout the call, the operator remained calm, reassuring the driver that assistance was on the way and instructing him to stay as still as possible. Responding to the operator’s query about the exact position of the truck, the driver admitted his limited view, saying, “I just see the road down beneath me, that’s all I can see.”
This daunting rescue comes just over a year after a similar incident occurred, when another truck driver was saved from her cab as it hung precariously on the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge between Louisville and southern Indiana. These incidents highlight the skills and bravery of first responders in executing such delicate and life-saving operations.