An ambulance rescued a driver who almost fell off an 11m high bridge in a snowy traffic accident. This crew held on for 45 minutes while holding on to the driver, who was precariously hanging on the bridge railing, with his bare hands.
According to the Gyeongbuk Fire Department on the 28th, at approximately 9:29 a.m. the previous day, a large trailer skidded on the snow and collided with a guardrail on the Pungsan Bridge toward Busan on the Jungang Expressway in Gyepyeong-ri, Pungsan-eup, Andong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do. In this accident, part of the trailer tilted outside the railing and the lower body of the driver in his 60s fell out of the driver’s seat.
Paramedic Park Jun-hyeon (34, photo) from the Pungsan 119 Safety Center arrived at the scene and found the driver between the damaged driver’s seats. The driver was barely able to cover his upper body between the blankets piled up in the driver’s seat. The lower body was outside the trailer. It was a dizzying sight hanging from the railing of an 11m high bridge.
The vehicle Fire Brigade Park rode in was an ambulance, not a rescue truck. As a result, they were not properly equipped with rescue equipment. He held out his hand, thinking he had to save the driver. “I didn’t even have time to think about how to rescue them or how long I should hold on to them,” he said.
The rescue team arrived about 15 minutes later, but they were unable to switch with other paramedics due to concerns about a fall accident. Firefighter Park and the driver held hands, and ropes were wrapped around the driver’s arms to connect them to other rescuers.
Firefighter Park said, “We tried to talk to the driver, but normal conversation was impossible, probably because he was unconscious due to the shock of the accident.” He continued, “We kept reassuring the driver so that he wouldn’t act out of fear and make sure he didn’t lose consciousness.”
During this process, there were several critical moments, such as parts of the accident trailer falling to the ground. Every time that happened, the driver was overcome with fear and struggled. Even Park Fire Bridge, who is 177cm tall and weighs 95kg and has a strong physique, had a hard time withstanding it. But he held on to the driver with all his might. “I put all my effort into holding on just a little longer,” he said.
Meanwhile, air mats were laid on the national highway under the bridge. An articulated truck also arrived and placed a basket (loading device) on the driver. Ultimately, the driver was rescued around 10:30 a.m., one hour and one minute after the accident. It is said that the driver was covered in blood from the aftermath of the accident when he was transported to the hospital. In addition to the Park Fire Brigade, about 20 firefighters from Andong Fire Station, Yecheon Fire Station, and Gyeongbuk Provincial Office 119 Safety Center participated in the rescue operation on this day.
Firefighter Park said, “I didn’t even know it was hard when I was holding on to the driver, but my arms still don’t move well, probably because I applied too much force for a long time in the cold weather.” Still, fortunately, he added, “There were no particularly serious injuries.”
The scene of him holding on to the driver and not letting go was shared on social networking services (SNS) and became a hot topic. He said, “I am embarrassed by this situation because I am very shy,” but added, “My wife boasted about it by showing the video to our 5- and 7-year-old children. “I want to go home quickly and see my children’s reactions,” he said.
Firefighter Park is an 8-year-old paramedic who joined the company on November 20, 2016. He said, “This accident was the most impressive moment in my career so far,” and “I think it will continue to be remembered in the future.”
Kim Jeong-seok ([email protected])
