Video: Woman rescued from truck dangling off bridge

A woman driver was rescued from the cab of a semi-truck after the vehicle crashed through a bridge guardrail — leaving it dangling precariously over a river.

According to international media, the unidentified driver was crossing the Clark Memorial Bridge northbound on Friday when her truck shifted lanes and went through the barrier.

Heartstopping photos and video show the majority of the truck hanging over the bridge, with the cabin parallel to the Ohio River below.

In the video, one of the members of the rescue team can be seen rappelling down, hooking the driver up to a safety harness, and bringing her up. The video of the incident has gone viral on social media.

Firefighters confirmed the driver was pulled from the truck using ropes and ladders, and was back safely on the bridge in about 45 minutes. They added that nobody ever entered the water below.

“She held it together like a champ,” Louisville Fire Department Chief Brian O’Neill said in a news conference, describing the woman as very calm throughout her ordeal.

“But I will say, the second she hit solid ground she was able to let those emotions go and just have that relief. It’s a pretty impressive thing.”

He added that it was “extremely lucky” that the vehicle never plunged into the water, roughly 75ft (23 meters) below.

Two other vehicles were involved in the crash, which were in “pretty bad shape,” O’Neill said. One of the victims was sent to the hospital and was in worse condition than the semi driver.

One of the rescuers, firefighter Bryce Carden, said his training prepared him for the encounter, telling reporters “we’ve certainly done some crazy things but this tops it so far”.