
A semi truck plummeted off of an overpass in Idaho on Monday morning, killing the driver and causing a fire that destroyed the big rig.
The accident happened at around 6:30 a.m. on Interstate 84 near Burley, Idaho.
Police say that the tractor trailer was traveling west on I-84 near mile marker 211 when it veered off the highway, crashed through the guardrail, and plunged off the side of the overpass, striking a pickup traveling on Highway 24 below. The force of the impact bent the trailer and sparked a fire that engulfed the big rig.
The truck driver, whose name has not yet been released, was killed in the accident. The pickup driver, 63-year-old Gregory Grove, was not hurt in the accident, reported The Idaho Press.
“All day long I’ve been asking myself if I really saw that,” said Will Murphy, a man who witnessed the crash, to Magic Valley News.
“I saw this ball of flame on the right side of the road. I thought I better pull over to help, and by the time I went from the left to the right-hand lane, the fire ripped across the highway… It was almost unbelievable,” Murphy continued.
I-84 and Highway 24 were closed for several hours as crews worked to clear the debris and investigate the incident. The roadways have since been cleared, but investigators are still unsure as to why the big rig left the roadway.