A truck driver says he is lucky to be alive after his truck went up in flames on I-35 Wednesday night.
The man says he was on his way to San Antonio when he saw something in the middle of the interstate. The item turned out to be a mattress, and he says he couldn't avoid the mattress because other cars were zipping past him.
He ended up pulling over to the side of the interstate at the 318B exit in Bruceville about 11 p.m. The driver crawled under the burning truck to try and remove the mattress before calling 911.
The Lorena Volunteer Fire Department, Moody Volunteer Fire Department and Bruceville-Eddy Volunteer Fire Department were on scene battling the flames.
The truck driver was carrying refrigerated dried goods worth $150,000. He estimates the damage done to the truck and tractor trailer at more than $240,000. Thankfully, insurance will cover the nearly $400,000 damage costs.
While fire crews worked on clearing the scene, all southbound lanes and the access road were shut down. The closure caused traffic to build up for over 5 miles.
