A selfless semi truck driver lost his life saving a couple from peril before he died in an electric vehicle-fueled blaze.
The unidentified driver was driving eastbound on Interstate 10 in Tucson, Arizona, when his passenger-side front tire blew, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said.
The driver, who was hauling other vehicles, struck a guardrail, rolled over it, and rolled down into a median on Wednesday around 2pm.
It caused the trailer to immediately catch fire and killed the driver, authorities said.
Amanda and Raymond Cota were traveling next to the trailer when the tire blew.
‘We were right at the tire of the semi, it was right by our driver’s window when it popped,’ Amanda told KOLD. ‘And then he just started veering towards us, and I saw him grab the wheel to correct the blowout.’
They believe the driver’s decision to hit the guardrail, rather than veer toward them, saved their lives.
The couple has three kids and said all they could think about during the collision was getting home safely to their family.
‘That just flashed before our eyes as not making it home to our babies,’ Amanda said.
An unidentified truck driver saved the lives of two parents while driving down I-10 in Tucson
The driver’s tire popped, and he maneuvered the vehicle into a guardrail rather than the parents’ vehicle. The truck, which was hauling vehicles, including electric ones, caught fire and killed the driver
Amanda and Raymond Cota’s lives were saved due to his selfless act
‘I thank him,’ her husband told KOLD. ‘Because if it weren’t for those maneuvers, I don’t think we would be here talking to you right now.’
After the crash, the parents heard ‘explosions after explosion after explosion’ as the truck set fire with the driver inside, Amanda said.
‘And then the fire just kept getting bigger and bigger.’
Some of the 10 vehicles in the trailer were electric, which are known to burn uncontrollably and rapidly, causing explosions.
The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities have not identified the driver, nor explained why he was unable to escape the truck’s cab.
