A Mississippi trucker is lucky to be alive after his brakes failed on Old Fort Mountain, forcing him to bail out of his truck before it plunged 500 feet down the side of the mountain yesterday afternoon.
Brake Failure Forces Trucker Off I-40 Into Field
Driver Tyler Sanders was hauling coleslaw eastbound on I-40 through McDowell County, South Carolina, when he told troopers that he lost his brakes. Sanders said that there were cars to the side of his truck, so his only option was to drive off the road into a field.
After traveling about 500 feet through the grass, the truck came to the edge of a steep embankment. Unable to stop, Sanders threw himself out of the truck before it fell approximately 500 feet down the embankment.
Trucker Uninjured During Escape
Remarkably, Sanders was not injured during the bail out. No other injuries were reported.
So far no charges have been filed.
On scene reports say that the truck’s brakes were smoking. Said one North Carolina State Trooper: “He said he stopped at the top of the mountain (to cool his brakes) but we don’t know for sure.”
Truck hauling coleslaw loses brakes, goes over cliff: https://t.co/oPIjgvtdkW
— McDowell News (@mcdowellnews) June 30, 2016
Sources:
WWMT
McDowell News