Watch a Heroic Truck Driver Save a Baby and Her Grandma from a Fiery Explosion


(Video Link)

David Fredericksen is a professional truck driver. While taking his big rig through southern Mississippi on interstate highway I-10, he saw a huge explosion in front of him. The video above is a selection from his dashboard camera recording of the incident. A car had hit another tractor trailer, causing a fuel tank on the tractor trailer to explode.

As a result, the car promptly caught on fire. Fredericksen, followed by his co-driver, rushed into action. They and other drivers pushed through the smoke and flames to pull out the occupants: a one-year old baby and her grandmother. Michael Ballaban of Jalopnik reports:

As he approached the Lincoln, he saw the driver desperately trying to kick out the door, despite her broken leg. David, who is not a small guy, yanked open the door, only to find the baby girl in the back seat. Her carseat had actually been launched from one side of the car to the other, which miraculously also cleared her from the immediate danger of the flames.

His co-driver, who jumped out after him, grabbed the girl from the seat after David pulled her out.

"She was the cutest little thing, too," he said. "She was hugging him so tight she was choking him."

The woman broke her leg in accident. Otherwise, no one was seriously injured or killed.



Similar to the side mirror, "Objects in the dashcam are closer than they appear". The van was in the wreckage by the time it stopped. Clearing the scene allows access for responders and affords some protection in those few critical seconds where traffic behind has yet come to a complete stop. You can see in the video the van parked on the right past the accident. No doubt she/he was late for work that day.
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In regards to being fired, I guess I can't blame them for that then but maybe your boss isn't worth working for if they fire you for stopping to assist at an accident scene. I also didn't consider the fact that he may have been clearing the scene as you suggest, and I might even go so far as to add that they may have been anxious about litigation since our country is so lawsuit happy that you can't even help someone with a lawyer breathing down your neck...Oh well, glad to hear that no one was seriously hurt.
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Also, I would hope that the huge fireball/smoke trail at the scene would be an indication for most people to look away from their smartphones and be prepared to slow down/stop. :)
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