Rescue of truck driver dangling from bridge was a group effort, firefighter says

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Kentucky firefighter who rappelled off a bridge to rescue the driving force of a tractor-trailer because it dangled precariously over the Ohio River says he performed only a small a part of the profitable rescue.

Louisville firefighter Bryce Carden credited teamwork as he talked concerning the rescue on “Good Morning America” on Monday.

“I performed a really small piece in a big puzzle,” mentioned Carden, attributing the success to “the fellows topside and guys on the underside who helped make it occur.”

Jaw-dropping pictures and video captured Friday’s rescue of the driving force from her cab, which hung over the aspect of the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge between Louisville, Kentucky, and southern Indiana.

The truck driver was rescued unhurt, however three different automobiles had been concerned within the crash, and two folks had been taken to the hospital, Louisville Metro Police have mentioned.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg mentioned it occurred when a southbound automobile hit a stalled automotive and crossed into northbound visitors, colliding with the tractor-trailer, which went via a guardrail.

The trailer ended up between the bridge’s girders, balanced on the sting with the cab hanging over the water, and there was fixed concern through the rescue that the truck may shift at any second, Louisville Hearth Chief Brian O’Neill mentioned at a press convention after the rescue.

“It’s extraordinarily fortunate, not a lot a lot that it will detach from the trailer, however simply that your entire truck didn’t go into the river,” O’Neill mentioned.

It took about 40 minutes to arrange a rope system and get Carden able to rappel all the way down to the cab, hook the driving force as much as a security harness and carry her safely again to the bridge floor. She was taken to the hospital as a precaution, he mentioned.

Three lanes of the bridge reopened to visitors Saturday night after an inspection. The bridge will want repairs, notably to a pedestrian sidewalk, however the Kentucky Transportation Cupboard mentioned its structural integrity was not compromised.