Big rig driver airlifted to hospital after truck crashes through bridge railing and dangles 80 feet over Interstate 80 in California

A tractor-trailer broke through a railing on eastbound Interstate 80 near Floriston, California, leaving its cab suspended 80 feet above the highway below. Thrown clear of the vehicle, the driver came to rest on an embankment and was subsequently airlifted to hospital with major injuries. California Highway Patrol said speed and wet weather are believed to be factors. All eastbound lanes were closed for hours while crews detached the tractor from its trailer before the road reopened in the early hours of Saturday.

The crash happened around 11 a.m. Friday, roughly six miles west of the California-Nevada border.

Caltrans urged drivers to slow down during the wet Sierra weather, with one lane remaining closed for several hours after the incident.

The timing hit Burning Man festival-goers hard, as around 80,000 travellers were heading east on I-80 to Black Rock City for the event starting Sunday.