A truck driver had a lucky escape after his cab smashed through the barrier of a bridge and left him dangerously hovering over a busy highway.
The near-death smash happened around 8am on the MM104 on Saturday in Palm Beach Gardens, north of Palm Beach, in Florida.
Pictures and video from the Palm Beach County Fire Rescue show how the 18-wheeler juggernaut had obliterated the wall of a bridge and ended up with the cab hanging over the edge of a deadly drop.
In a video of the rescue, firefighters can be seen using a crane to reach the stricken driver who gratefully clambers out of his vehicle onto the ladder, before reaching his arms up to the sky.
In a statement, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue said it was an “amazing rescue” and that the driver “thanked the heavens” for getting out alive.
The fire agency described the action as it unfolded, saying: “Amazing rescue today after an 18 wheeler is dangling from an overpass on the Turnpike with the driver trapped inside.
“PBCFR Firefighters raise the bucket from Truck 29 to reach the trapped driver. Once our firefighters secure him to a harness, they help him climb into the bucket.
“Truck 29 slowly lowers him to the ground to be transported to a local hospital. About 36 seconds into the video, he thanks the heavens for his safe rescue from this precarious situation.”
“The firefighters were only able to get to him after Engine 23 and Rescue 23 secured the 18 wheeler with a grip hoist, grade 100 chain, and six inch vehicle strap cribbing, straps to keep the massively heavy vehicle from rolling any further forward.”
The statment concluded that the driver was “very lucky to be alive”, adding “we are grateful to be able to get him back to his family for the holidays.”
Since the fire service shared a video of the dramatic rescue it has been viewed more than 66,000 times on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter.
