A truck driver was finally freed from his wrecked rig after two hours following a crash that sent him crashing into Loyalhanna Creek.
The accident happened at around 8:00 a.m. in Ligonier Township, Pennsylvania.
Police say that the truck driver was traveling along Route 30 when they believe he may have fallen asleep, sending his rig swerving off road, down a steep embankment, and into the creek. The crash left the rig overturned with half the truck in the creek, trapping the driver inside.
A passenger inside the cab was able to free himself from the wreckage, but emergency crews worked until around 10:00 a.m. cutting through the bottom of the cab in order to free the driver, whose leg was stuck. Witnesses sat that he was communicating with officials throughout the duration of the rescue.
“He [the truck driver] was really exhausted from what he went through,” said Darlington Fire Chief Bob McDowell to Trib Live News.
“We do believe fatigue was a factor in the crash,” added Township Police Chief Mike Matrunics.
“It was so steep … I fell down once, but once I got down there one of the guys ahead of me was already pulling out the passenger and asked me to help the guy up the hill,” explained 27 year-old Jacob Garletts, a witness to the crash.
“He was really scratched up, but seemed OK, except he was disoriented,” Garletts said.
The unnamed driver was transported to a nearby hospital. The details regarding his condition are not known.
As of 11:00 a.m., the westbound lanes of Route 30 were still shut down for clean up of the wrecked rig, as well as oil spilled in the crash.