For almost four hours Monday the cab of a tractor-trailer dangled over an interstate bridge in south Dallas.
The cab crashed over the concrete wall of Interstate 35E after the driver lost control at the Saner Avenue overpass at about 4:30 p.m.
The driver of the truck and his passenger both made it out safely, as the cab dangled about 20 feet above Saner Avenue.
“I wasn't going to die today,” said Anthony Tillis, who was a passenger in the truck. “I wasn't going to die today, bro. I promise you that.”
While the cab was hanging over the edge, it remained attached to the trailer, which was still on the highway.
“It was raining hard about that time, and I’m sure he lost control somehow, obviously, and went over the rail,” said Dallas Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Bret Stidham.
“The trailer just started moving behind us,” said Tillis. “That was it man. That's all I remember.”
Tillis and the driver climbed up through the passenger door and had to scale the side of the truck to get to flat ground.
Dallas FD says the driver and passenger made it out safely @NBCDFW pic.twitter.com/9rWtdKWxus
— Johnny Archer (@ArcherNBC5) March 9, 2015
“God was with us,” the driver told NBC 5. “That’s all I can say.”
“It’s beyond a blessing,” said Tillis.
Both escaped with only minor injuries.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Traffic was backed up for miles on the northbound side of I-35E as crews used cranes to lift the cab back onto the highway, which was back open by about 8:30 p.m.
“Just getting out of there is all I wanted to do,” said Tillis.
Hazmat crews were also called because the cab's fuel tanks ruptured and leaked fuel down onto Saner Avenue.
