‘Hero’ truck driver narrowly avoids serious accident after brakes fail

A truck driver in Halifax has been hailed a hero after narrowly avoiding a serious accident on Thursday by crashing his vehicle after the brakes failed.

Footage filmed shortly after the incident shows the 14-wheel rubbish truck lying on its side surrounded by garbage after reportedly rushing down a hill and overturning as the driver steered away from stationary traffic.

“The first thing he said was ‘my brakes, my brakes’,” said Martin Tighe, 39, who ran from his car to help the driver after witnessing the crash.

“There were three to four hundred litres of diesel pouring out but me and another guy, he’d smashed a window, and the driver was trapped inside. We got his seat belt off and helped him out.”

Police reported no injuries.

Mr Tighe, originally from London but who now owns a haulage company in Halifax, continued: “As he’s coming down he had two options, go round the corner where there was traffic and cars at the lights, or go over the crash barrier.

“He must have been doing around 60 miles an hour and if he’d gone through [the cars] he would have obliterated them.

“I’ve had training and seen videos of what trucks can do to cars even going at 40.

“Through his actions, 100% he saved lives by not going into the back of those four or five cars.”

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: “Police were called at 5:57 this morning (March 28) to reports of a lorry colliding with the front of a house on Stump Cross, in Halifax. There are no reported injuries. The vehicle is currently blocking the road, drivers are asked to avoid the area.”