Neighbors Help Recover Crashed Semi In Creek

A backhoe tries pulling a Mack truck from Beaverdam Creek at the Grassland-Blackgold Road Bridge.

Darren Doyle, story, photos, and video:
It was a scary ride for Steven Matthew Bullock, (26) of Brownsville, as he tried navigating a Mack semi truck down a hill backwards as it crashed into Beaverdam Creek, near Bear Creek on Monday evening.

According to the Edmonson County Sheriff's Office, Bullock's father, Mr. Steven Bullock, was operating a fully loaded semi at the top of hill on the Blackgold side of the bridge at Beaverdam Creek. His truck had become disabled due to a broken drive shaft. His son, Steven Matthew Bullock, was operating the Mack truck with no trailer, and had driven up the hill to his father's location to help. The trucks were used for farming purposes.

Sheriff Doyle said that the younger Bullock's truck starting losing it's air brakes and began rolling backwards. Bullock tried to navigate the truck as the brakes completely failed, rolled down the hill backwards, and crashed through the guardrail of the bridge, landing in the creek on its side.

Photo of the truck as it first entered the creek. (photo: Austin Vincent)

A crashed truck is recovered from Beaverdam Creek at Grassland-Blackgold Road.

A crashed truck is recovered from Beaverdam Creek at Grassland-Blackgold Road.

Neighbors pitched in and helped the Bullocks recover the truck by using a backhoe and two large tractors. After multiple tries at different angles and two broken chains, the truck was pulled up and out of the creek.

Some oil made its way into the creek but multiple absorbent booms, which are large, fabric-like cylinders, were placed into the creek by local fire departments. According to Emergency Management Director Terry Massey, the booms were able to pull the oil from the water with no problem, as the oil pooled in one dammed-up area near the crash.

Edmonson County Road Supervisor Greg Carroll said that a bridge engineer would be requested to inspect the bridge, but as of now, all that seems damaged was a small portion of the wooden guardrail. Barrels were placed at the broken guardrail to warn drivers of the area.

Miraculously, no injuries were reported in the accident.

"With such a hectic scene and crazy drop-off from that bridge, it seems impossible that the operator didn't sustain significant injury," said Sheriff Doyle. "I can only attribute that to divine intervention. It could have been much worse."

Responding at the scene was Edmonson County Sheriff Shane Doyle, the Bear Creek and Kyrock Fire Departments, Edmonson County Emergency Management, and the Edmonson County Road Department.