A heroic rescue was conducted while hanging precipitously over an Ohio River bridge last week.
On Friday, March 1, reports came in of a semi-truck and trailer that had broken through a guardrail and were dangling perilously over the edge of Clark Memorial Bridge in Kentucky. Louisville Division of Fire arrived to save the female driver, who prayed for life in the cab.
The call came at about noon. A crash on the four-lane bridge—involving two passenger vehicles, a pickup truck, and a commercial semi-truck—resulted in the long hauler going over the edge. Its long trailer section got caught on the bridge’s metal beams, lodging the unit in place as it hung over 70 feet above the water.
Falling from such a height could easily have been fatal, yet, according to first responders, the driver of the semi remained composed throughout the incident.
Louisville’s Fire Division arrived and initiated a high-angle rescue. Firefighter Bryce Carden said he was confident when he hung from a line and rappelled from a fire engine ladder; the 29-year-old first responder knew his teammates had his back.
The hood of the truck had broken open, while the female driver, a military veteran, remained secure in the cab. Both she and the firefighter were saying prayers throughout the ordeal, Mr. Carden said.
“She was praying a lot, and I was praying right there with her,” he told the outlet.
Both the rescuer and the driver came away from the wreck unharmed. Dramatic footage from the scene shows them suspended on a wire high above the river.
Two others from one of the four vehicles in the collision suffered serious injuries. They and the driver of the semi were taken to the University of Louisville Hospital for medical attention, Louisville Metro Police Department stated.
Following the harrowing rescue, that seemed to teeter on the brink of life and death, Louisville Fire Chief Brian O'Neill expressed that “these men and women make me so proud,” and this was “a once-in-a-career kind of thing.”
“All the credit goes right here,“ he told the press Friday. ”These are some serious heroes. This was some really professional, well-practiced, well-trained stuff.
“This is very much a worst-case scenario and something that you don’t expect to happen,” he said. “This is a once-in-a-career kind of thing.
“This motivates the heck out of me every day.”
Fire Chief O'Neill’s commendations extended to the firefighter who went out on a line to save the driver: Mr. Carden’s conduct meant he was the “exact right person” for the job.
“This guy is probably one of the nicest, happiest guys that you'll ever want to meet in your life,” Chief O’Neill said, speaking of Mr. Carden. “And he is the exact right person to put down there to try to keep that patient calm.”
Hours after the crash, the semi was hoisted up. All four lanes of the bridge were closed after the accident until inspections could be carried out, but traffic is now back and flowing.
The Clark Memorial Bridge was built in 1928, and was so-christened in 1949 in honor of Louisville’s founder.
