When a sports car gets crushed under a large truck and is flattened, the outcome is usually pretty grim. That’s why firefighters responding at a crash scene were shocked when the driver of the car was not only alive, but filming his rescue and asking them to take his picture.
Jelani Reyes-Craig is incredibly lucky to be alive. He was alone in his car, trapped under the trailer of a semi-truck for around an hour waiting for emergency rescue crews to get him out. The truck had rolled over on its side, and about six inches of the trailer had caught a guardrail, keep Reyes-Craig’s car from being completely flattened.
While trapped, Reyes-Craig had to cut himself out of his seatbelt and move over to the passenger seat in order to stay safe. He says that flour from the trailer and smoke from the engine flooded his car.
When firefighters arrived, Lt. Jim Strock of the Watervliet Fire Department said he didn’t expect to find anyone alive inside.
“Survivability rate on this is zero. No way is this guy alive,” said Strock according to KKTV. “And they said he’s talking. I said, ‘Get out of here!’ I go around the car, and I yell in, ‘Hey bud.’ He goes, ‘Dude, would you take my picture, this is unbelievable.’
After about 30-45 minutes of cutting, firefighters were able to pull Reyes-Craig out safely with only a few minor cuts and bruises.
“He walks out of the car, and he’s high fiving us on the way to the hospital,” Strock said. “Unbelievable. Unbelievable.”
While firefighters worked to rescue him, Reyes-Craig had shot a video on his phone which was later uploaded to Youtube by Lt. Strock. In it, he can be heard blaming the truck driver for the accident, saying “truck merged into me on the highway.”
An investigation by NY State Police later found that the truck driver (who was not injured in the crash) was not at fault for the accident. Instead, they have charged Reyes-Craig with misdemeanor reckless driving and issued him citations for unsafe lane change and speeding.
Source: wnyt, kmov, cbs6albany, kktv, youtube, facebook
Image: watervliet FD
this is all to common with truck vs. car accident.
My favorite part of this article???
“An investigation by NY State Police later found that the truck driver (who was not injured in the crash) was not at fault for the accident. Instead, they have charged Reyes-Craig with misdemeanor reckless driving and issued him citations for unsafe lane change and speeding.”
My favorite part as well. I hope his fine was like $5000. Plus cost to truck driver. Replacement cost. Salary distress cost etc. est at $15000 also $2000 fine for falsely blaming truck driver on a video. Heck let’s round up to $25000 cost to this stupid red car driver.
Yes we can read but thank you anyway for repeating half the story now gfy
Les,
You must be related to the car driver somehow or you are one of those New Mellenial CDL Holders that are part of the problem with today’s trucking industry for you to go say,” now go GFY”. Instead, maybe your comment should have been it’s amazing he survived that or he is damn lucky he survived that, maybe next time he will think twice when driving like a fool around a big truck.
Yes but there’s a lot of 4 wheel drivers with the same stupid attitude. When they say big trucks shouldn’t be on the highway. I guess he’s willing to drive state to state to get his necessities.
I watched this on a local news station in RI .It is amazing that he survived .
Chalk one up for the Truck Driver not getting blame. I hope the Red Car Driver has to pay about $500,000. That’s about what it would be or more IF it was the Truck Drivers fault. Good job for the Watervliet, NY PD
I thought accidents were always the truck drivers fault?
You know they most often blame the driver.
Its obvious, he caused the accident and saying in the video hoping it will be taken rather than the facts. Its always same cry, truck drivers fault. It will never change. Cut the seat belt? I bet he wasnt wearing any…
In the video, the trapped driver is quick to blame the truck driver. For some, it’s always someone else’s fault.
I know that group of people
Car driver should thank his Guardian Angel for this and take it as a warning… 🙏
Thanks NYSP for investigation result
They ought to invest drug screening for people that receive welfare first! Test people that take handouts from the government as opposed to those that feed the government.
What does that have to do with this article? So if the government would drug test welfare recipients this accident would have been prevented?have you been drug tested lately? You should be!
Lol right this Jason mccarter guy Lame probably a green horn trying to fit in
You’re wildly off-topic, but I’ll play along. States tried it and it was a complete failure. Positive test results were less than half the national average and it wasn’t cost-effective. But hey, you keep on thinking they’re mooching while the cocaine-addled Wall Street types take billions in corporate welfare.
This would be an amazing commercial for the auto maker,whatever kind of car it is.”wanna talk about safety…. “?looks kinda like a beamer wheel sticking out. What’s your guess?
Nissan 350Z
Course he’s alive he is human scum obviously smh
Red Car blames the truck driver, but winds up getting all the citations. Hope the driver and his company sue the snot out of Red Car!
Maybe call one of those ambulance chasers – “been injured in a truck crash??” – and get them to represent the truck driver! 😆
Idiots merging onto a highway always think they have the right of way. But once the lawyers get involved he will still come out a winner.
Les Daniell. I hadn’t noticed that much til I moved to Oklahoma but a lot here think merge means you have to get over for them. They don’t realize or care at times it’s not possible
It’s obvious that if the truck merged into him, he would’ve been rolled over instead of rolled on. I’m guessing another situation where people merging onto the freeway thinking they have the right of way.
So now the truck driver should get a good lawyer and sue the reckless amateur to oblivion.
Let’s see….. car merges into truck that has right of way, has said truck roll onto him, not only survives accident but also smoke and from suffocating from the flour! Would have been a cool story up to this point hence the “dude take my picture” which is typical for today’s Youtube crowd but then turns out he’s a scumbag and not only is he not concerned about the trucker but tries to blame him! I just wonder if “Integrity” and “Gratitude” are even words anymore? Kudos to the police dept!
While he was busy making his own rescue video he forgot to include the moment he was cited for reckless driving causing an accident. Not to mention the cost of the spilled load and turned over truck. All that kitty litter for hazardous spills. Commercial A tow truck. Giant ticket. Ya I don’t think that was a flaming red GTO.