Crash leads to dramatic rescue of semi truck driver dangling off bridge

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A truck driver was rescued after a crash left his semi hanging over the side of a bridge on I-65 in Louisville, Kentucky.

"I'm just hanging over the bridge, I don't want to die," the truck driver told a 911 dispatcher.

The driver called 911 while being trapped in the cab. He stayed on the line for 18 harrowing minutes.

"Will you guys please help me, I'm about to... I'm about to fall down from the bridge," the driver said. "I'm really afraid to move in the truck right now."

At one point, he makes a special request.

"Please, if I don't survive, can you just leave the recording for my family?" he asks.

While he was on the phone, responders were rushing to set up a rescue plan.

"If you can imagine when you're on an interstate, it's a highly, highly dangerous position to set up any type of operation," said Chief Brian O'Neill, with the Louisville Fire Dept.

Crews used a rope system to lower a rescuer into the cab. The rescuer then hooked up the driver and lifted him to safety -- all in a matter of about 30 minutes.

A remarkably similar scene played out just last year in Louisville when dozens of firefighters worked for nearly an hour to rescue the driver of a truck that was dangling off a different bridge.

As for this recent crash, police are investigating how the driver lost control.