News
South Korean firefighter holds on to man's arm for 45 minutes to prevent him falling off 11m-high bridge
The accident occurred when the truck skidded on snow.
December 01, 2024, 02:56 PM
In a desperate bid to save a man's life, a South Korean firefighter held on to his hand for 45 minutes while the man dangled off the side of a bridge while trapped in the shattered remains of a truck cab.
Snow crash
On Nov. 27, the Gyeongbuk Fire Service Headquarters were alerted to an accident involving a truck on the Joongang Expressway in North Gyeongsang province.
Korea JoongAng Daily reported that a trailer truck had skidded in the snow, colliding with a railing on the Pungsan Bridge in Andong, resulting in part of the trailer's cab hanging over the edge of the bridge, with the driver stuck inside.
The driver, a man in his 60s, was clinging to the driver's seat and hanging from the trailer, with the upper half of his body inside the trailer but his lower half dangling outside, approximately 11m off the ground.
Fire corporal Park Joon Hyun, upon seeing the man, immediately grabbed the driver and held on to him for the next 45 minutes.
The Daily reported that Park had arrived in an ambulance, rather than a fire truck, and thus lacked proper rescue equipment.
Held on till equipment arrived
Reinforcements arrived within 15 minutes, but Park refused to let the driver go as he feared that doing so might cause the man to fall.
The Korea Herald wrote that the damage to the vehicle made it tough to open the doors and properly conduct a rescue operation.
However, they were able to further secure the driver by tying a rope around his arm, reported Korea JoongAng Daily.
Park was quoted as saying that the driver was dazed from shock and that he had to constantly reassure the man to prevent him from making sudden movements and to keep him conscious.
During the ordeal, more equipment was brought in to help the man, with an air mattress being laid below, and a ladder truck with a loading basket deployed.
A video released by the fire service shows a firefighter tethered to a crane on the bridge walking alongside the trailer cab to extricate the driver.
The driver was eventually rescued about an hour after the crash occurred and was taken to hospital.Overwhelming attention
Park told the Daily that he did not feel much pain while he was holding onto the truck driver, but that his arms still felt stiff.
Describing himself as shy, he said that the attention he had gained when the incident went viral on social media was "overwhelming", but that his two children, both under the age of seven, had been shown a video of the incident by his proud wife.
Korea has been experiencing some of the heaviest snow in over 50 years, with over 16.5 cm recorded on Nov. 27, far exceeding the previous high of 12.4 cm in 1972.
The snow has affected the electricity supply, delayed over 200 flights, and caused road accidents.
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Top image via car.booom/Threads & 경북소방본부/Facebook
