A trucker put his own life on the line to pull a fellow driver from a burning truck after a crash on I-65 in Indiana yesterday.
According to police, 52 year old Tyrone McKenny lost control of his truck in the southbound lanes of I-65 around mile marker 93 yesterday morning after entering a construction zone. He left the road, hit a guard rail, ran into a ditch, and then collided with a tree. The truck caught fire seconds later.
Truckers Spring Into Action To Rescue Fellow Driver From Burning Truck
Moments after the crash, three or four truckers left their rigs and ran to help McKenny. Steve Nicodemus and Bryan Corns, 56, were two of the truckers who stopped to try to save McKenny’s life. The crashed truck was hauling a slippery liquid protein in plastic containers, which had spilled everywhere and made it difficult for the drivers to get to McKenny.
Driver Risks Burns, Smoke Inhalation, To Get Trucker Out
Corns managed to enter the cab of the truck and pull McKenny to safety, though he was nearly burned, inhaled significant amounts of smoke, and became covered in the liquid protein.
Rescue crews took McKenny to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries an hour later.
Corns was not seriously injured during the rescue.
Police Praise Driver For Heroism
In spite of the fact that McKenny didn’t survive, Indiana State Police still praise the heroism of the truckers who stopped to help: “Bryan Corns bravely put his life on the line for a complete stranger to save the driver from a horrific death inside that burning semi.”
Corns, a veteran driver with 30 years behind the wheel, said that he just did what he felt he had to do: “Who in their right mind can sit back and not try to save somebody if they are getting ready to die? I would not want to live with that.”
Driver’s Dog Survives Fire
During the clean up from the crash, rescue crews found McKenny’s dog alive inside the cab. She got a clean bill of health from the vet and is being fostered by members of the fire department until she can be returned to McKenny’s family.
Police are still investigating why McKenny lost control of the truck.
Sources:
WISH-TV
Fox 59
The Indianapolis Star