Truck Driver Survives Highway 59 Wreck That Flattened His Cab

I have zoomed in on this photo dozens of times, and I'm simply astonished. Adolph Ross was trapped for well over two hours in this mangled vehicle. How this truck cab didn't turn into his coffin is what many are calling miraculous. Numerous first responders played a huge role in rescuing Ross; one of those was the Lufkin Fire Department's Special Operations Team.

What Is the Special Operations Team?

These emergency personnel are trained to perform challenging extractions. Lufkin Fire has the only Special Ops team trained for these types of extractions and the heavy-equipment truck needed to perform this type of rescue within a 50-mile radius. On Wednesday morning, Lufkin Fire Department's Special Operations team used their heavy technical rescue truck to help extract Ross out of his 18-wheeler truck cab, in which he was trapped following a collision with another 18-wheeler on U.S. 59 south, just south of Diboll in Polk County.

Wednesday Morning's Accident Timeline

Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Watson said the department received a call around 5 a.m. and met at the scene with the Diboll VFD, Livingston VFD, Corrigan VFD, Allegiance EMS, Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers and TxDOT. The departments worked together to develop a plan to remove Ross from the crushed truck cab. The Elm Grove, Louisiana native was conscious, alert, and talking with rescue crews throughout the time they planned and worked to remove him from amidst the steel poles that were on the cab.

It took about an hour and a half for rescuers to free Ross. The extraction was difficult and delicate, according to Watson. A coordinated effort between the Special Operations team and Polk County wreckers was needed to lift the pipes off the truck cab while taking care not to harm the driver or any first responders. Ross was taken by medical helicopter to a Houston hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The northbound lanes of Highway 59 were blocked for a lengthy period, leading to a backlog of traffic from Diboll through Lufkin later in the day.

How Did The Wreck Occur?

Texas DPS' preliminary crash investigation indicates that at approximately 4:21 a.m., a 1991 International truck tractor towing a flatbed trailer was traveling south and attempted to turn back north in a crossover, while a 2024 Freightliner towing a box trailer was traveling north. It is reported that the International failed to yield the right-of-way at a yield sign, pulled into the path of the Freightliner, and was struck.