Earlier this week, we reported about an accident that took place in the Bronx, New York.
Around noon on Memorial day, the semi truck driver was traveling on the Cross Bronx Expressway when he lost control of his vehicles and hit two cars.
The truck’s cab flipped and dangled over the bridge.
As an update to the story, we now share the truck driver’s recount of his experience.
55-year-old Pablo Lopez survived the daunting crash with only seven staples in his head and sore muscles. He told NBC 4 New York that he split his head on the visor when his cab flipped but was otherwise in good condition.
Truck driver Lopez said he was driving from Connecticut to New Jersey after delivering tomatoes on Sunday.
Police confirmed that the accident was caused by the actions of a car driver.
At the time of the accident, Lopez was driving in the middle lane. A driver in a black car hit the semi’s front wheel, causing him to lose control and setting off the chain of events. He hit two cars before smashing into the expressway’s guardrail.
Pablo Lopez told ABC 7 NY:
“I saw the cars behind me and I didn’t want to crush them.”
After the tractor trailer had crashed through the railings of the expressway, the cab was left precariously hanging from the bridge.
Lopez clung onto the steering wheel as he crawled out of the cab of the truck, then jumped onto the Sheridan Expressway below, landing on his feet.
The truck driver continued to describe what happened:
“The tanks broken, I was drenched in oil. I have been a truck driver for 18 years and never had an accident like this.”
Lopez emphasized that:
“I never thought I was going to die. I don’t drink or smoke or do anything. I was completely alert.”
Reporters asked if he felt lucky, considering the outcome could have been tragic.
He answered that he was protected by God.
Lopez explained that because he was able to remain calm the whole time, he was able to make the fast decisions which saved him from the wreckage.