A FedEx driver trapped in his truck on a sweltering July day was recently rescued by Gravois Fire Protection District Firefighters.
According to GFPD Fire Chief Ed Hancock, the driver was attempting to deliver a package to a residence at 299 Uphill Road on Tuesday, July 3, when he became trapped in his truck. “He got in his truck and the door closed behind him,” Chief Hancock said. “I don’t know if it was a malfunction, or the doors lock that way by design?”
The package recipients/homeowners returned home to find the truck in their driveway. “They started banging on the truck and the driver responded that he was trapped. The homeowners tried to pry open the door and in doing so they destroyed the lock, but were unsuccessful in the rescue, that is when they called 911,” Chief Hancock said.
Firefighters received the call at 6:08 p.m. Arriving units found the driver had been trapped in the truck in the extreme temperatures for approximately 2.5 hours. “We pried the door apart and cut the locking bolt off the door,” Chief Hancock reported. The driver had broken the window out, but it was too small for him to climb through.
“He had a lot of heat stress and was suffering from the high temperatures. He tried to decline treatment,” Chief Hancock added. “But, the ambulance personnel talked him into going to the hospital to get checked out and rehydrated.” He was transported to Lake Regional Hospital by ambulance.
GFPD responded with three firefighters and three personnel. The Camden County Sheriff’s Department took custody of the vehicle.
