Trucker dives under trailer to avoid being directly hit by another rig

GRAY COUNTY, Texas — A truck driver stranded on the side of the road dove under his trailer to avoid being struck by another big rig on Thursday evening, Feb. 15, along Interstate 40 in the Texas Panhandle.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), the driver’s truck broke down at mile marker 122.

After the breakdown, he climbed out of his rig and placed traffic cones along the perimeter so he could examine the issue.

A short time later, he saw another semi-truck barreling toward him, and he dove under his trailer just before that rig rear-ended his trailer.

Although he dove under the trailer to avoid being directly hit, the driver still sustained serious injuries and was transported via helicopter to an area hospital.

The driver and a passenger in the rig that hit the broken-down truck weren’t serious injured, authorities said.

DPS did not name anyone involved in the incident.

John Worthen

Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and raised in East Texas, John Worthen returned to his home state to attend college in 1998 and decided to make his life in The Natural State. Worthen is a 20-year veteran of the journalism industry and has covered just about every topic there is. He has a passion for writing and telling stories. He has worked as a beat reporter and bureau chief for a statewide newspaper and as managing editor of a regional newspaper in Arkansas. Additionally, Worthen has been a prolific freelance journalist for two decades, and has been published in several travel magazines and on travel websites.