When rescue crews Girdwood Rescue 42, Utility 41, and Medic 41 responded to a sinking vehicle report on Seward Highway in Alaska, they found something unusual—a fully loaded semi-truck. The truck was slowly sinking into the icy Turnagain Arm—a waterway that feeds into the Gulf of Alaska—with the driver still inside the cab. The rescue crews threw the driver a throw bag, so they were able to pull him to shore and he was taken to the hospital. Thankfully, the driver is OK.
It’s currently unclear how an entire semi-truck veered off the highway and into the ocean. However, it seems that weather conditions and visibility were factors. According to Girdwood Fire and Rescue, it was so winding that the rain was coming down horizontally, and driving visibility was poor. That specific section of the highway was also missing its guardrail due to construction. Since Turnagain Arm’s year-round temperature ranges from 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit, and the truck went into the water at night in the rain, the driver is lucky to have survived.
However, even after the driver was pulled from the truck and taken to the hospital, there was still work to be done. As you might imagine, some very big rigs, and a lot of can-do attitude, were required to recover such a massive truck out of the water. The semi-truck sat in the frigid water for almost 20 hours before Vulcan Towing & Recovery was able to pull it out and two tow trucks were needed. When they finally did pull it out, the hood was missing and the windshield was smashed in. The latter is particularly frightening when you realize that the driver was in the cab as 40-degree water started pouring in.
Considering the terrifying nature of the incident, it turned out about as well as it could have. An out-of-control semi-truck in dark, rainy weather has the potential to cause a lot of damage but fortunately, no other cars or people were reportedly involved. There weren’t even any environmental issues as Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation spokeswoman Kelly Rawalt said the truck was only carrying empty fish totes at the time, per Alaska Public Media. Additionally, no fuel, oil, or coolant leaked out of the truck into the water.
The driver was even praised for how he controlled the truck as it veered off the road. “He did an amazing job keeping the wheels up, keeping the wheels on the ground,” said Girdwood Fire and Rescue Chief Michelle Weston, according to the Anchorage Daily News. “It could have gone a totally different way.” Weston also said this was the only instance she’d ever seen of a semi-truck driving into the water.
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