HAMMOND, Ind. – A fiery accident in the wee hours of Dec. 2 left a truck driver clinging to a bridge support above Indiana’s Calumet River as he waited for rescuers.
The single-vehicle crash happened around 2 a.m. on Interstate-90, the Indiana Toll Road, at the 6.5 mile-marker, approximately two miles east of Calumet Avenue in Hammond, Indiana, according to a news release from the Indiana State Police.
Marc A. Rupert Sr., 32, of Lansing, Illinois, was driving a UPS tractor pulling an empty trailer in the left westbound lane of I-90 when his rig left the lane and struck the center median. The rig then went over the wall and fell off the Calumet River bridge.
The trailer remained perpendicular, hanging off the bridge in between the east and westbound lanes. The rig caught on fire during the crash.
Rescuers feared that Rupert was in the river and possibly trapped in the cab, so Hammond Fire and SCUBA were immediately called to help in rescue efforts.
Luckily, Rupert was found clinging to a bridge support, where he was rescued and transported to St. Catherine’s Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
Removal of the tractor-trailer required the assistance of a crane. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
UPS? Again? what is going on with UPS and FedEx? they are giving us big dogs a bad name.