Driver rescued by boat after second truck in three months plunges off NC bridge 

The second truck in three months flipped over the side of a bridge in North Carolina on Tuesday. 

The accident happened on September 6th during a rainstorm in New Bern, North Carolina. 

According to ABC 12, an S&W Ready Mix Concrete truck was merging lanes on the Trent River Bridge on US 17 southbound  when it began to lose control on the wet road. 

“I saw the big 18-wheeler,” said Kyle Fiaschetti, who was driving right beside the rig at the time of the accident. “And I saw him start to skid side to side a little bit, so I started to slow down, as soon as I slowed down, he completely turned sideways and came across all three lanes and went straight off the guard rail.”

“At the time of the accident there was a pretty good amount of rain coming down on the highway, so the water could’ve been holding on the roadway,” explained Trooper Richard Hopper, who investigated the incident.

The truck driver plunged 50 feet into the river below and had to be rescued by boat. They were then transported to a nearby hospital, but their current condition is not known. 

This is the second truck to go off the side of the bridge in the last three months – the last truck was a flatbed that skidded off the bridge in nearly the same spot. 

“It’s always shocking,” said  Wayne McCandless, who lives near the bridge. “And we’ve had that happen this past year. I hope the person in the cab is OK.”