A truck driver’s life literally hung in the balance on Monday afternoon following a vehicle crash on a Dallas overpass.
The Dallas County Sheriff’s Department reported a major accident on northbound I-35 at Victory Avenue just before 2:30 p.m. on December 4. The incident, which involved a Sherwin-Williams truck and another vehicle, left the commercial box truck dangling off the overpass with the driver still inside.
Dallas Fire-Rescue teams were called in to extricate the truck driver from the vehicle as it hung over the freeway below, precariously wedged between a Dallas North Tollway ramp and the Stemmons Freeway overpass. Rescuers positioned a fire truck ladder on the road directly below the Sherwin Williams truck so that technicians could access the driver, who they fitted with a harness and lifted to the road above.
The unnamed driver of the truck was then sent to a local hospital for evaluation. The driver of the second vehicle was also transported to the hospital but was expected to be okay, NBC 5 DFW reported.
Dallas Fire-Rescue and the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department both posted photos of the rescue operation on their respective social media pages, clearly showing the predicament the first responders faced. DFR praised the rescue teams for their excellent work.
Dallas Fire Deputy Chief Christian Hinojosa noted that the outcome of the situation could have been worse.
“Had the integrity of that box truck given way at any point, that could’ve resulted in a much more catastrophic outcome,” said Hinojosa.
The incident caused delays in traffic in the area for several hours. About three hours after the passenger was rescued from the vehicle, the truck was finally removed from between the overpasses.
