Feb. 15--CRESTWOOD -- A bizarre crash left a sweeper truck dangling sideways in a tree early Wednesday on a bluff overlooking Interstate 44 in Crestwood.
The driver of the truck was trapped for about an hour but escaped serious injury, rescuers say.
The man, in his mid 40s, suffered cuts on his face and was complaining of leg pain but was conscious and alert during the rescue, said Crestwood's assistant fire chief, Mark Menning.
It all began about 3:45 a.m. Wednesday when the man was cleaning the Sam's Club parking lot in a sweeper truck, authorities say. The lot is at 10248 Big Bend Boulevard, near I-44.
The truck raced forward, jumped the curb and guardrail and landed sideways in trees.
A driver on eastbound I-44 saw what happened and called police. Firefighters found the truck dangling in a tree, over an embankment.
The driver told paramedics that the accelerator had gotten stuck and the truck had raced out of control.
If it hadn't landed in the trees, the truck would have dropped about 20 feet onto an entrance ramp onto the highway, Menning said.
Crews had to cut apart the truck's dashboard to free the driver's legs. Mehlville firefighters came to help stabilize the truck with cables while rescuers got the man out. It took them an about an hour to free him.
"I've never had one hanging over the bluff like that," Menning said.
The man, whose name was not released, worked for Galaxy Maintenance Inc. of Valley Park. A supervisor with the company showed up at the scene and said he didn't know why the crash happened. He said he was on his way to Mercy Hospital in Creve Coeur to check on his employee.
Copyright 2012 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
