Texas police have released body cam video of their extraordinary efforts to rescue a truck driver who crashed a tanker truck off of an overpass onto the roadway below.
The crash happened early on Thursday, August 29, in Lufkin, Texas.
TRAFFIC ALERT: Loop 287 from North Brentwood Drive to the U.S. 59 south exit will be closed for the next several hours…
Police say that 60 year old Texas-based truck driver Leslie Rodriguez veered off a 40 foot flyover, causing a crash that left the cab of his truck on southbound Loop 287 while the tanker came to a stop in the northbound lanes of U.S. 59.
When Officers Carter Willmon and Roger Ordaz arrived on the scene, they didn’t know what was inside the tanker and were worried it could explode. However, they also heard Rodriguez yelling for help and they decided that they had to get him out of the wreckage of his truck immediately.
The officers were able to pull Rodriguez from the cab and carry him to safety as he screamed in pain. He was taken to the hospital and is expected to be okay.
Lufkin police say they aren’t sure why Rodriguez veered off the flyover.
Rodriguez later told police that he was hauling orange juice.
BURNING TANKER ACCIDENT VIDEO: ***GRAPHIC VIDEO – VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED *** This video captured from body cams and in-car video of yesterday’s tanker truck accident shows Officers Carter Willmon and Roger Ordaz risk their lives to save the driver. Before their arrival, the tanker truck drove off of a 40+ foot flyover and broke into two pieces – cab in the southbound lanes and tanker burning nearby in the northbound lanes.When they approached the cab, they did not know what was inside the burning tanker. It could have been gasoline – ready to explode – or a deadly chemical. They didn’t care. They took the risk and approached the cab to see if they could rescue the screaming, injured man. The driver, identified as Leslie Rodriguez, 60, of Edinburg, Texas, is recovering in a Tyler hospital and is expected to make a complete recovery. We still do not know what caused him to veer off the flyover.#heroesdontwearcapes #bleepetybleepbleep #sorrymom #onlyhuman #upsidedownsafetyveststillworks #orangejuice #huh
