In The News
Trucker blacks out, rescued by fellow trucker
A story of a runaway truck had a happy ending this past weekend, thanks to the actions of a quick-thinking truck driver.
The Modesto Bee reported that driver Kim Kit Murti was heading south on Highway 99 near Modesto on Friday morning when he blacked out. His truck continued down the highway at 55 miles per hour, and it soon became apparent to other motorists on the road that the truck was out of control.
One of those motorists was fellow truck driver Damon Gordon, who watched the whole thing from the cab of his own truck right behind Murti’s. The runaway truck bounced repeatedly off the concrete divider in the center of the road, rolled up an exit ramp, down an embankment, and back onto the freeway.
Gordon gave chase until the truck slowed to about 10 miles per hour. He got about 50 yards ahead and parked his own truck in the path of the oncoming vehicle. Then Gordon got out of his cab and ran alongside the runaway truck.
Gordon jumped onto the truck, smashed the passenger window to unlock the door, and reached inside to pull the air brake. He managed to stop the truck just as it lightly touched his own.
The Modesto Bee reported that Murti apparently had had a seizure while he was driving, but otherwise had only minor injuries.