‘I don’t want to burn’ | How semi-truck driver escaped a fiery crash on I-65 in Louisville | Local News

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The driver of a semitruck that caught fire Friday morning near the Kennedy Bridge survived with minor injuries. Now, he's sharing his story of survival exclusively with WDRB News.

"I'm fortunate," Jeffery Walker said. "I'm telling you, seconds after I got out of that truck it burst in flames."

Walker was driving a semi-truck through Louisville, as he's done several times before, when it crashed and caught on fire.

"I consider myself a safe driver," Walker said. "I don't speed. I really don't know how it happened. It was wet out."

A MetroSafe supervisor confirmed a call about an accident came in at 10:14 a.m. Friday about the single vehicle crash on Interstate 65. Witnesses said they heard explosions around the time of the crash.

Thick, black smoke filled the air, and flames crept up the semi's sides with Walker trapped inside. He was dangling off I-65.

"I couldn't open the doors," he said. "I couldn't open the windows. None of it would work. I was looking for something to break the window, couldn't find anything, and then it flamed up a little higher under the hood."

Walker said he narrowly escaped by kicking the passenger door as hard as he could until it opened. He then slid down the semi's trailer and jumped off, landing on the ground 20 feet below.

His thoughts raced the whole way down.

"I don't want to die," Walker said. "I don't want to burn."

He walked away with minor injuries. Minutes later, the semi smashed against the ground in that very spot.

"Luckily, I got out of the way," Walker said. "I was fortunate. I was blessed."

The Louisville Fire Department posted an image on social media of firefighters near the semi attacking flames under I-65 south near I-64. Sims said the department was able to get to the scene quickly. LFD received mutual aid from Jeffersonville Fire and EMS.

Walker's right leg is now in a cast because his ankle is broken in several places.

"I'll have to have surgery in like three weeks," Walker said.

He also hurt his back, hip, and elbow in the fall, but he's already been discharged from University Hospital.

Walker and his wife plan to fly back home to Arkansas shortly. He only has one thing on his mind.

"Seeing my family again means the most," Walker said. "It just feels good to be alive and going home to my grandkids."

As the sole provider for his family, he said it's "going to be rough" not working for a while. However, even when he's healed, Walker is unsure if he will ever get behind the wheel of another semi truck.

"I've definitely been thinking twice about it," he said.

If you would like to donate to Walker and his family, there's a GoFundMe.

Mayor Craig Greenberg said the semi trailer was empty at the time of the crash, but the cause of the crash hasn't been determined. He said investigators are checking to see if the accident was captured on any of the cameras in the area.

The Louisville Metro Police Traffic Unit will lead the investigation into what happened. Police spokesman Dwight Mitchell said there were three previous crashes in the same area including one on Kentucky Derby weekend.

Greenberg said his office has reached out to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), which has jurisdiction over interstates. He said the city had already been working with KYTC about safety along the I-65 corridor through Louisville, after a series of recent crashes in the area. He said the city has come up with strategies to deal with safety along the interstate, but he did not elaborate on that.

While officials work on solutions, Walker warns other drivers to take it extra slow on this road.

"They definitely need to take care of that leg ASAP," Walker said. "I'm fortunate that I walked away from it. It could have been a lot worse."

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