Firefighter rappels from bridge to save truck driver | US | News
In a daring rescue operation reminiscent of an action movie, first responders rescued a truck driver whose vehicle was hanging precariously on a busy highway.
The heart-stopping incident occurred around 6:25 a.m. when a commercial cargo truck veered off a snowy West Virginia highway, leaving the taxi staggered on the edge of a bridge about 100 feet above the ground.
Footage from the scene showed the taxi at an almost 90-degree angle, leaving the driver trapped inside for nearly five hours.
Emergency services from the Hurricane Fire Department were called to the scene following reports of a motor vehicle collision on U.S. Route 35 in Mason County.
The video footage of the accident is straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster and highlights the terrifying depth of the possibility of falling from the bridge.
The rescue operation involved a coordinated effort by local and county emergency services, which closed the highway. They then strategically deployed multiple fire trucks and emergency management vehicles to prepare for the rescue mission.
Technicians from various departments installed three rope systems using two heavy rescue trucks, local first responders said. According to the New York Post, one of the trucks served as an anchor for the bridge, while the other one prevented the cargo-laden truck from falling to the ground and secured the swinging cargo-laden truck.
Emergency vehicles were strategically positioned to initiate rope rescue.
Amid harsh winter conditions, Hurricane Fire Department volunteer firefighter Westley Quinn lowered himself from the bridge into the truck cab and secured the driver with a seat belt.
Social media footage documented the dramatic rescue; Quinn appears to be tied to the driver and both men are seen being carried to safety through the fast-moving snow.
Mason County Commission Chairman Rick Handley, Hurricane, Point Pleasant, Winfield, Buffalo, St. He confirmed that a number of local fire crews, including Albans, Nitro and Teays Valley crews, bravely participated in the life-saving operation.
This incident follows weekend chaos when wintry conditions triggered a massive multi-vehicle crash involving dozens of cars on an Indiana highway, according to authorities.
A 45-vehicle pileup occurred Saturday on the westbound carriageway of I-70 near Terre Haute, Indiana State Police Public Information Officer Matt Ames confirmed in an email to PEOPLE.
Remarkably, Ames reported no casualties in the incident.
The crash occurred shortly before 10 a.m. local time during heavy snowfall, and Ames explained in a Facebook Live broadcast Saturday that officers were already dealing with “several slides” and crashes along I-70.
