More than a dozen people called 911 Friday after an accident left a semi-truck dangling off the side of the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge, also called the 2nd Street Bridge, with the driver stuck in the cab.
Newly released recordings show the shock and panic of witnesses — some of whom were on the bridge when the accident happened around noon.
“Two trucks just got into an accident and a semi-tractor trailer is hanging over the bridge,” one caller said. “We need people. Right now.”
“Oh, Jesus,” the operator responded. “Okay. Hold on a minute.”
The multi-vehicle collision involved two passenger vehicles, a pickup truck and a semi-truck, according to information from the Louisville Metro Police Department. Following the initial impact, one of the vehicles lost control, swerved into the opposite lane and hit the semi-truck, causing it to go through the guardrails and dangle partially off the bridge.
“There is a wreck on the Second Street Bridge,” another caller said. “It’s a semi-truck that flipped over the bridge, the lady is screaming, like it’s very, very bad.”
The semi-truck driver, a Louisville woman, was in the vehicle for about 40 minutes as it hung precariously over the Ohio River.
“She cannot get out of the truck,” one witness told a 911 operator. “She’s in the cab hanging over the water.”
A person from Sysco, the driver’s employer, also called in.
“I just got an alert that one of my drivers ran their truck off the bridge,” the employee said.
Firefighter Bryce Carden, 29, rescued the driver, according to Louisville Fire Chief Brian O’Neill, who said she was “extremely lucky” the semi-truck did not fall into the river.
More:‘Tremendously lucky’: Woman rescued from truck hanging from Clark Memorial Bridge
Louisville Fire and Rescue lowered Carden in a harness from a ladder truck to reach the trailer’s driver, secure her and lift her back onto the bridge.
When one 911 operator asked a witness if there was anyone injured, she said, “They’ve gotta be.”
The driver went to the hospital after being rescued but was released Saturday. Two other people involved in the crash were taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. One remained in the hospital as of Saturday, Mayor Craig Greenberg said.
The bridge opened to vehicular traffic Saturday evening. Inspectors with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet found damage to the pedestrian sidewalks. They are closed in both directions, pending repairs.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing.
Reach reporter Eleanor McCrary at [email protected] or at @ellie_mccrary on X, formerly known as Twitter. Reporter Matt Glowicki contributed to this report. Reporter Bailey Loosemore contributed to this report.
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