An Arkansas driver, Jeffrey Walker, narrowly escaped death by jumping 20 feet off an overpass to escape an inevitable truck explosion in Louisville, Kentucky. While the cause of the accident remains under investigation, Walker now faces a “long and difficult” recovery.
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According to the Louisville Fire Department (LFD), the incident took place at around 10 a.m. on Friday, June 13, on the I-65 South overpass above I-64 East. The LFD received reports of a semi-truck, reportedly driven by Walker, identified by WLKY, partially hanging off the overpass.
LFD crews managed to contain and extinguish the fire caused by the semi-truck exploding. Thankfully, Walker managed to self-evacuate in time and sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Then, he was transported to a local hospital after being treated at the scene by Louisville Metro EMS.
“Thanks to the swift efforts of LFD, with support from the Jeffersonville Fire Department and traffic control provided by LMPD, the fire was fully extinguished in under 15 minutes,” the LFD wrote.
‘Long And Difficult’
Walker’s wife, Shannon Teixeira, set up a GoFundMe to help cover his medical expenses and living costs. In the fundraiser, she explained how Walker managed to escape a tragic and violent death.
As per Texeira, Walker, as the truck “dangled terrifyingly off a bridge,” fought to escape the vehicle. To no avail, he tried to open doors and windows as the flames began closing in. Eventually, he managed to open the passenger door and jumped “20 feet to the road below.”
Seconds after his narrow escape, the truck exploded. Jeffrey Walker had survived.
However, his miraculous survival came with a cost. Texeira says that her husband suffered a broken leg, ankle, and foot, caused by the 20-foot fall. Walker will need surgery once the swelling subsides.
“His recovery will be long and difficult,” Texeira added. “As the sole provider for our household, he is now unable to work, and we are facing an uncertain future.”
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg praised the LFD on social media.
“I’m so thankful for our Louisville Fire Department firefighters quick response to this morning’s crash on I-65 and that no one was seriously injured,” Greenberg said. “Fortunately, the driver involved in today’s crash should be okay and was able to escape with minor injuries. No one else was injured.”
According to WLKY, several semi-trucks have crashed in the same area in the past month.