Entertainment
Driver Jumps 20 Ft from Burning Truck Earlier than It Plunges Off Overpass
NEED TO KNOW
- A truck driver “miraculously” escaped a burning truck simply earlier than it exploded and plunged off a freeway on Interstate 65, close to Louisville, Kentucky, on June 13
- The motive force, recognized by WLKY as Jeffrey Walker, jumped 20 ft to security and escaped with simply minor accidents
- Authorities are investigating the reason for the truck explosion
An Arkansas man narrowly escaped dying after leaping 20 ft from an exploding truck on a Kentucky freeway.
At round 10:00 a.m. native time on Friday, June 13, the Louisville Fireplace Division responded to reviews of a semi-truck on hearth that was “partially hanging off” the Interstate 65 South overpass close to downtown Louisville, based on a news release on Fb.
“Upon arrival, crews shortly labored to comprise and extinguish the blaze,” the Louisville Fireplace Division mentioned. The motive force was miraculously in a position to evacuate the automobile with non-life-threatening accidents and was despatched to a neighborhood hospital.
The motive force, recognized as Jeffrey Walker per WLKY, jumped round 20 ft from the burning automobile simply “seconds” earlier than it exploded and fell from the overpass, his spouse Shannon Teixeira defined on a GoFundMe page set as much as assist pay with medical bills and dwelling prices whereas he recovers.
Go Fund Me
“The truck dangled terrifyingly off the bridge, the trailer pointed straight up within the air. Trapped inside, he fought desperately to flee — making an attempt the doorways and home windows, looking for something to interrupt free,” she wrote within the description of the fundraiser. “As flames closed in, he managed to drive open the passenger door and, with no time to spare, jumped over 20 ft to the highway beneath [before] the truck exploded.”
“By some miracle, he survived,” she added.
In footage launched by the Louisville Fireplace Division, the truck is seen ablaze after it fell off the overpass onto Interstate 64 East Freeway, as firefighters are seen on the bottom.
In line with the GoFundMe web page, Walker suffered a badly damaged leg, foot, and ankle and requires surgical procedure for his accidents.
“His restoration can be lengthy and troublesome. As the only real supplier for our family, he’s now unable to work, and we face an unsure future,” his spouse shared as she requested for donations for the household. As of June 18, the web page has raised over $1,700 with a objective of reaching $20,000.
By no means miss a narrative — join PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to remain up-to-date on the very best of what PEOPLE has to supply, from celeb information to forcing human curiosity tales.
Go Fund Me
All lanes on Interstate 65 South simply earlier than the Kennedy Bridge have been closed following the incident, because the Kentucky Transportation Cupboard (KYTC) District 5 responded to the scene, WLKY reported.
Mayor Craig Greenberg mentioned in a statement on X, “Fortuitously, the driving force concerned in immediately’s crash needs to be okay and was in a position to escape with minor accidents. Nobody else was injured. I am so grateful for our @loukyfire firefighters’ fast response to this morning’s crash on I-65 and that nobody was severely injured.” He added that there was an analogous accident in Could and that security enhancements” have been underway.
An investigation into the reason for the crash is ongoing.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Louisville Fireplace Division for remark, however didn’t instantly hear again.