Rope rescue after truck slid off US 35 during Nor’easter snow in Mason County, West Virginia
A truck slid off US 35 in Mason County, West Virginia, during heavy snow brought by the Nor’easter storm, prompting a rope rescue on Tuesday, December 2, 2025. Emergency crews used harnesses and safety lines to reach and extract the driver, who was safely brought to solid ground without reported injuries.
Firefighter rescuing a driver after a truck slide of on US 35 in Mason County, West Virginia on December 2, 2025. Credit: Saint Albans WV Fire
A tractor-trailer slid off a bridge in Mason County, West Virginia, on Tuesday, prompting a dramatic rescue by Hurricane Fire and Rescue.
The truck slid off and struck the concrete barrier along the northbound lane of US 35 at the intersection of Sixteen Mile Creek Road at around 05:00 LT on Tuesday.
The heavy load of bricks on the back prevented the truck from plummeting off the bridge. However, the driver’s cabin was left dangling over the edge. According to crews and first responders, the driver was trapped in the cabin for around 5.5 hours before being rescued.
Hurricane Fire and Rescue and Winfield Fire and Rescue used rope systems and an aerial tower to lower firefighter Westley Quinn into the cabin. Quinn then secured the driver, after which both were pulled to safety.
“I just tried to slip the harness on him, get him secured as best as I could, and keep him from stepping on the windshield,” Quinn told WOWK 13 News. “And, you know, he listened. There were a few times he got antsy — which anybody would — and I just kept reassuring him I was there with him.”
“The safer we got that harness on him, the safer we were, and the faster we could get out of there,” Quinn said.
The snowfall that caused this crash was associated with a powerful Nor’easter storm that brought heavy snow across the Northeast U.S., prompting a State of Emergency in some New Jersey Counties.
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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