After a collision Friday sent her truck dangling off the Clark Memorial Bridge in Louisville, Kentucky, a first responder was lowered by a crane to rescue the driver.

The crash, which happened at 12:04 p.m., left the Sysco truck, hanging precariously off the side of the bridge.

“She held it together like a champ. … It’s tremendously lucky it didn’t go over,” said Louisville Fire Department Chief Brian O’Neill.

The other vehicles involved were a pickup truck and two cars. Two people from one of the cars were sent to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, the Louisville Metro Police Department said.

First responders worked to set up a rope and pulley system from a crane to lower a person down to the dangling cab.

Setting up the rope and pulley took about 40 minutes. The truck driver, whom fire officials did not name, was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg posted a photo of the rescue on X. “This is why our first responders are heroes,” he wrote.

The bridge was closed due to the crash and truck recovery efforts and is unlikely to reopen before Saturday morning.

In a statement to WHAS-TV, Sysco said the company “is enormously grateful to rescue services and law enforcement who quickly and safely resolved the accident on the Clark Memorial Bridge today. We are thankful our Sysco colleague is safe and thank the first responders for their courageous efforts rescuing our driver.”

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.