Something told him to move his car out of the way, and it’s good thing that he did.
Presumed San Diego resident and Redditor /r/LawlessSpace shared shocking footage from his Tesla to the /r/Truckers subreddit showing him pre-emptively moving out of the way of a parked semi moments before the semi truck driver accidentally fell into his lane!
Check out his Tesla dashcam footage below.
Nearly ran over a driver who fell into my lane
byu/LawlessSpace inTruckers
This incident happened in San Diego, CA on the 805 freeway before the Governor Dr. Exit (exact location on Google maps linked here.)
As we can see in OP’s footage, he’s merging onto the 805.
“I saw a semi parked on the side of the road. When passing, I instinctively shifted over to give them room—a decision I’m incredibly thankful for.”
“Just as I was about to pass, the driver tumbled off his truck and into my lane!”
OP’s quick thinking literally saved this semi truck driver’s life as if he didn’t move out of the way, he would’ve surely hit him.
“Went to check on him after and aside from us both needing new underwear, everyone was A-okay.”
Other Redditors, and probably fellow truck drivers in the comments, relayed their props and tipped their hats his way.
“F*****g good driving OP. What orchestrated that driver’s Final Destination tumble into the road? Ive heard of falling but that was ridiculous,” /u/FinalBoard2571 commented.
Although just speculation, other commenters replied that a semi truck driver probably wouldn’t have fallen out if he was maintaining three points of contact (an industry safety standard getting in and out of trucks.)
“Once in a lifetime. Your skill and attention saved this man’s life,” /u/Visual_Win_8399 added.
“Wow. I’m glad you were alert and quick to react. I’m sure that guy is too,” /u/LivinUndead replied.
“Holy s*** good save man. I’m saving this video to show to my next CDL class on how quickly things can go bad, and how important it is to be safe especially when outside of your truck,” /u/Standard-Panic-7201 commented.
This is why defensive driving is so important, not only will you be ready for what drivers normally do on the road, you’ll be aware of what can potentially happen and can react accordingly, too.
And, if you’re a semi truck driver that doesn’t see the value in three points in contact, this incident begs to differ.
