Multiple agencies teamed up to rescue a truck driver who was trapped inside the cab of a semi truck following a crash into a bridge pillar on I-44 near Rolla, Missouri.
Doolittle Rural Fire Protection District (DRFPD) responded to the crash at mile marker 172 on I-44 shortly before 6 p.m. on February 1, 2026.
Firefighters said that a semi truck struck a bridge pillar, and that the truck initially caught fire after the crash. Bystanders were able to knock down the vehicle fire with a fire extinguisher.
When crews arrived on scene, they found the semi truck to be “heavily damaged” and the driver “still alive but entrapped and suffering from traumatic injuries.”
Crews extricated the driver in eleven minutes.
The truck driver was airlifted to a hospital for treatment.
After the driver was removed from the scene, crews turned to a large fuel and oil spill caused by the crash.
DRFPD said that the truck was fully loaded with Press N Seal plastic wrap when the crash occurred.
