A car was crushed beneath the rear trailer axles of a loaded tractor-trailer in Henderson early Saturday, and firefighters say the driver is expected to make a full recovery.
The driver was northbound on the Bi-State Vietnam Gold Star Twin Bridges in Henderson when the driver said the car’s engine died and the car lost electrical power, the Henderson Fire Department said in a Facebook post.
“Shortly after, driver was apparently leaning across the front seats to retrieve a flashlight from the glove compartment when the car was struck by the tractor-trailer,” the fire department said. “The impact spun the car around 180° and dragged it approximately 100 yards against the concrete barrier on the bridge.”
Firefighters who were called to the scene just after 3:30 a.m. were able to talk to the driver to provide “comfort and information about what was happening” while two heavy wreckers arrived to lift the trailer off the car.
The fire department said the wrecker operators plugged the leaking diesel fuel tanks and were able to remove the trailer within an hour.
“Once the trailer was off of the car, we extricated the driver who was taken via ambulance to the hospital,” the fire department said. “We are told the driver is expected to make a full recovery.”
In the Facebook post, the fire department’s assistant chief praised the wrecker operators for their quick response, saying that without them, he was “not sure exactly how we would have stabilized and removed the trailer in that precarious situation, but he is certain it would have taken many hours longer to do so.”
The Twin Bridges span the Ohio River between Henderson and Evansville, Ind. The bridge was closed for several hours Saturday morning while officials investigated and cleaned up the diesel fuel that was spilled.
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