On the Clark Memorial Bridge in March, Sydney Thomas, 26, experienced a dramatic incident as her semi-truck ended up hanging over the Ohio River following a collision. Trevor Branham, 33, driving a pickup truck, swerved to avoid a stalled vehicle, resulting in a crash that sent Thomas's truck over the bridge railings. This incident was captured by dashcam footage shown in court.
Branham faces four counts of wanton endangerment and one count of operating on a suspended license. Witnesses reported that he was speeding and weaving through traffic before hitting the stalled vehicle, another car, and subsequently Thomas's semi-truck.
Thomas was left dangling in her 18-wheeler over the nearly 100-year-old bridge connecting Louisville, Kentucky, to Southern Indiana. She remained in the cab for approximately 30 minutes until Louisville firefighter Bryce Carden rescued her. Carden was lowered from a crane to cut her seatbelt and secure her into a harness.
In court, Assistant County Attorney Liem Sokhon presented the dashcam footage as evidence, describing the incident as exhibiting extreme indifference to human life. Branham’s attorney, Scott Barton, argued for lesser charges, noting the absence of serious injuries or deaths. The judge maintained Branham's bond at $20,000, with a grand jury review scheduled for next month.
Bryce Carden, the firefighter involved in the rescue, described the intense and surreal nature of the incident, recalling how his training helped him focus on the task at hand during the high-altitude rescue.