ST. LOUIS – An IDOT highway maintainer for District 7 saved a semi-truck driver from a crash on southwest I-70.
IDOT said Alan Ingle saw the semi had flipped and landed in a ditch as he was hauling rock from the Casey gravel pit to Effingham.
Ingle then turned on his hazard lights. As he approached the semi, IDOT said “he noticed that fuel was leaking and realized he needed to act quickly to rescue the driver.” IDOT said Ingle got in the cab and saw the driver was conscious but confused. He was able to get the woman and her dogs out of the cab. The woman walked away from the crash “with minor scrapes and bruises.”
“It was very apparent that the truck tractor was leaking diesel fuel from the tanks all over the underside of parts of the engine. The truck tractor could have easily caught fire with the driver still inside,” Illinois State Trooper Ryan Mayhaus said. “Mr. Ingle was able to help the driver before fire, EMS or any troopers could get to the scene. It is my opinion that Mr. Ingle helped save a life.”
Earlier this year, Ingle and a coworker saw an overturned camper on fire and thanks to his military experience and training as a volunteer with the Toledo Fire Department, he was able to act quickly and extinguish the fire.
“It’s part of our job to ensure the safety of the traveling public,” Ingle said.