Firefighters spent two hours cutting man out of truck under 18-wheeler
April 1, 2023Updated: April 1, 2023 11:10 a.m.
Breaking news
Houston Chronicle
Firefighters spent two hours Saturday morning cutting a man out of a truck stuck under an 18-wheeler, according to responding officials.
Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constable Phillip Cash and his wife Heather were heading home around 1 a.m. from the Montgomery County Fair on Interstate 45 when he had to swerve from striking a large debris field.
As Cash got his vehicle turned around, he spotted two 18-wheelers parked on the shoulder. One of the 18-wheelers had a Chevrolet Avalanche Z71 parked completely under the rear. Cash immediately called dispatch and went to the vehicle. He could see the driver was slightly moving.
Moments later, Conroe Fire arrived and started to work on freeing the driver. For almost two hours, the pickup driver talked to rescuers as they attempted to get him out. One firefighter said it looked like the Home Depot tool aisle in the middle of the freeway as they had just about every tool possible being used.
The driver was taken in critical but stable condition with facial injuries to a local hospital. Several other cars were damaged by debris on both the north and south sides of the freeway. Witnesses told officials that both 18-wheelers were traveling about 70 miles per hour when the pickup crashed.
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Jonathan Limehouse is a federal court reporter for the Houston Chronicle.
A North Carolina native who grew up in Raleigh and graduated from UNC Charlotte, Jonathan previously worked at The Charlotte Observer as a breaking news reporter. He’s covered everything from crime and education to public health and sports.
References
- ^ Jonathan Limehouse (www.houstonchronicle.com)