Driver safely removed from truck dangling above Ohio River

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – First responders were able to successfully rescued the driver of a semi left dangling above the Ohio River following a crash while crossing the Clark Memorial Bridge.

The crash was reported on Friday around Noon. The semi appears to have traveling northbound when it crossed the southbound lanes through the guardrail.

The cab of the semi remained attached to the trailer but was suspended below the level of the bridge deck.

Chief Brian O’Neill of Louisville Fire Department said the first fire crews arrived three minutes after receiving the run. Louisville firefighters were able to talk to the semi driver. She was the only person in the cab of the vehicle. Louisville Metro police say the semi driver was taken to UofL Hospital by EMS following the extrication. LMPD says she was alert and conscious and her injuries are thought to be non-life threatening.

O’Neill said firefighters developed a rescue plan to reach the driver and bring her to safety. Crews used a ladder truck to lower a first responder, LFD firefighter Bryce Carden, to the driver’s side of the rig. Carden was then able to get the driver into a harness and release her from the seatbelt. The pair were then pulled up to the bridge deck by other firefighters.

In addition to the semi, three other vehicles - two passenger vehicles and a pickup truck - were involved in the wreck. Two people in one of those vehicles were also taken to UofL Hospital. Police say their injuries are serious and appear to be life-threatening.

Information on the truck and trailer indicate they are operated by Sysco, a national food distributor and restaurant supply company with a facility in Louisville on National Turnpike.

The Clark Memorial Bridge, which carries U.S. 31 between Louisville and Jeffersonville, Indiana, remains closed to traffic while crews determine how to remove the dangling semi. Metro police say the closure will last through the afternoon rush hour and possibly into Saturday.

The crash investigation is being handled by the LMPD Traffic Unit. Engineers from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet are also onsite to inspect the bridge once the semi has been removed.