Florida authorities said a truck driver is “lucky to be alive” after he was trapped in his 18-wheeler that was dangling over the Florida Turnpike in Palm Beach County on Dec. 23.
The incident happened at the Florida Turnpike northbound exit to the Beeline/SR 710 at mile marker 107, the Palm Beach County Fire Rescue told PEOPLE in a statement on Thursday.
Palm Beach Fire Rescue/Facebook
“#PBCFR Firefighters raise the bucket from Truck 29 to reach the trapped driver,” the department wrote in its Facebook post. “Once our firefighters secure him to a harness, they help him climb into the bucket."
In the footage, the firetruck slowly lowers the bucket carrying the driver and two firefighters to the ground.
A truck driver being rescued from the Florida Turnpike on Dec. 23, 2023.Palm Beach Fire Rescue/Facebook
“About 36 seconds into the video, he thanks the heavens for his safe rescue from this precarious situation,” Palm Beach County Fire Rescue wrote in the post, adding that the driver was taken to a local hospital.
The department added that the rescue was made possible after the 18-wheeler truck was secured with a grip hoist and other equipment to prevent the vehicle from further rolling.
“This driver is very lucky to be alive and we are grateful to be able to get him back to [his] family for the holidays!” the post concluded.
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“He was scared to move,” Palm Beach County Fire Rescue captain Duane Hodges, who was involved in the extrication of the driver from the truck’s cab, told local ABC affiliateWPBF. “But as I was able to convince him that he needed to come out, he was kind of frozen initially and happy to see us. I don’t think he really wanted to let go of where he was at.”
The cab of a truck dangles over the Florida Turnpike on Dec. 23, 2023.Palm Beach Fire Rescue/Facebook
In its statement to PEOPLE, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue said that the driver was hauling scrap metal in his truck when he lost control of his vehicle.
“The exit leads to an off-ramp that leads to an overpass with a stoplight at the top of it. Vehicles exiting are required to make a 90-degree left-hand turn. The tractor-trailer failed to navigate the turn and wound up partially ejected from the on-ramp,” the department said, adding that there was heavy rain at the time.
The department also noted that during the rescue, there were two other crashes on the southbound side of the turnpike due to distracted driving and people recording cell phone videos of the incident.
source: people.com
