OCEANSIDE — Emergency crews safely rescued a trucker whose big rig crashed partway off a rain-slick freeway bridge in Oceanside early today, leaving the driver suspended some seven stories above the San Luis Rey River.
The non-injury accident took place at about 5 a.m. Wednesday on northbound Interstate 805, just south of Harbor Drive, according to the Oceanside Fire Department.
Emergency crews arrived to find the cab of the tractor-trailer hanging off the edge of the San Luis Rey Bridge with the driver trapped inside about 70 feet above ground level, the city agency reported.
Firefighters stabilized the vehicle, then removed its rear cab window, allowing them to pull the trucker to safety.
“The Oceanside Fire Department reminds motorists to exercise caution during wet-weather conditions,” OFD officials noted in a prepared statement. “If possible, avoid unnecessary travel during rain, (and otherwise) reduce speed and maintain safe following distances behind other vehicles.”
