A pastor turned trucker broke out the windshield to help a pinned driver after his truck overturned on the Danville Expressway Franklin Turnpike exit in Virginia yesterday.
Troopers believe that the truck’s load shifted as truck driver John Stocker took the exit, which caused the truck to overturn. The accident left Stocker with his chest pinned against the steering wheel while the contents of the truck busted through the roof and caved in on him.
Even worse? The sweltering Virginia heat was starting to affect the trapped trucker.
Pastor Donald Parks stopped to check on the condition of the driver after coming across the accident with his wife. Parks, who had driven trucks for seven years, could tell that Stocker was trapped, scared, and becoming dangerously overheated.
Parks cracked the truck’s windshield so that Stocker could get some cooler air while they waited for rescue crews to respond. Stocker was pinned for 30 to 45 minutes before rescuers cut him out of the truck.
Officials blamed the rescue delay on bad information about the location of the crash and on the fact that it took them time to determine if the crash was in the city or the county.
Stocker sustained moderate injuries but is in stable condition.
Sources:
Richmond Times-Dispatch