Semi Flips after Hitting Guardrail & Bursts into Flames. Trapped Driver Screams for Life
Passenger vehicles, motorcycles, and large trucks are involved in highway accidents daily. However, it’s interesting to know how often semi trucks get into these vehicle collisions.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute collected some of this information in 2016.
According to their findings, 2,920 deaths involved a tractor-trailer in that year alone.
It’s unknown if these numbers remain the same to this day, but one thing that never changes is the fact that truck-related accidents do occur with alarming frequency.
They happen all the time, and just recently, a Florida man from Bradenton became the hero of a deadly crash.
Around 5 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 7, Caleb Bailey and his father, Pastor Bob Bailey, were traveling in the middle lane down Interstate 75 when they noticed a swerving truck.
“I had a semi in front of me about 200 feet, and he kind of veered to the left lane, which I thought was kind of weird,” Caleb said.
Suddenly, the semi flipped after hitting a guardrail, and it instantly burst into flames. Both men rushed over to help the trapped driver, who was screaming for his life.
Caleb tried busting out the window, which didn’t work. His dad decided to wave down another truck driver for help.
“He actually had a hammer,” Caleb stated. “After he got the hammer, we had a big enough hole between him hitting the windshield and me kicking, we got a big enough hole to get his head out.”
The driver, 44-year-old Michael Garcia, was pulled from the truck seconds before it was engulfed in flames.
Fortunately, his injuries were minor, but he was later charged with careless driving.
That very same day, Caleb’s dad gave a sermon and referenced the Incident. He believed they were at the right place at the right time for a reason.
“God has a plan for your life,” he told his church. “I believe it was God’s plan and divine will that we just happened to not stop for me to use the bathroom that we would be right there.”
“Funny thing was, I needed fuel but I didn’t stop for the last four exits because I was like, I want to get home,” Caleb also shared.
“Well, there is a reason I kept going and I am glad that happened,” he concluded. Thanks to Caleb, his father, another driver, and providential driving, another man is alive and well.
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