“It’s very dangerous man – people could lose their life on the road doing something like that,” the injured driver said.
The driver of a FedEx truck was knocked unconscious after a rock was thrown through his windshield on a Georgia highway. His child was also in the vehicle at the time of the incident. The Decatur County Sheriff's office said in a press release that the driver was semi-conscious with "significant injuries to his head" after a crash was reported on I-74 at 2:54 a.m. on Sunday, April 23. The driver was flown to St. Vincent Hospital in Atlanta due to his injuries. Authorities said they were reviewing video evidence recovered from the scene.
A FedEx driver was injured Sunday night when a rock was thrown through the windshield of their truck on I-74 near Greensburg. https://t.co/5Pq13I4qHW
— WRTV Indianapolis (@wrtv) April 25, 2023
The injured driver has been identified as Travis Hampton who was driving westbound on the interstate near the 127-mile marker shortly before 3 am on Sunday morning when a rock came crashing through his front window, per WRBI Radio. “I really don’t remember anything but waking up to the EMT,” Hampton told WRTV from his hospital bed. The truck driver was on his way to Greenwood with his 9-year-old daughter by his side. The young girl was fortunately unharmed and thanks to her quick thinking she was able to dial 9-1-1 for help amid the stressful situation. Her dad will be forever grateful to his young girl for that.
"I’m just thankful that my daughter was actually there to call someone because normally I’m out there by myself. Who knows how long I was out there,” Hampton added. The vehicle’s windshield received significant damage while Hampton was discovered "semi-conscious" inside the cab of the truck.
Hampton is now recovering from his severe injuries. “I have facial fractures – they say I have broken bones in my face," he explained. "I had to get my lip top to bottom stitched – I think they said I had to get a total of 27 stitches." The incident also shocked many of the officials who arrived at the scene. “I don’t recall anything like this ever happening in my 33 years in law enforcement in Decatur County,” Decatur County Sheriff, Bill Meyerrose shared. So far, no arrests have been made regarding the incident. For now, Hampton feels lucky to be alive. “It’s very dangerous man – people could lose their life on the road doing something like that,” Hampton said.
A @FedEx driver was seriously injured after a rock went through the windshield of his semi while he was driving down the interstate in Decatur County. The sheriff's office shared these images of the damage. MORE INFO: https://t.co/hlpy9TqWg9 @CountyDecatur pic.twitter.com/YgvgMF5PD7
— Katie Cox WRTV 💙 (@KatieJoCox) April 25, 2023
Another similar incident took place in the country recently. On April 13, a loose tire dropped from a trailer truck and struck the car windshield of a 21-year-old father on a Texas highway. Clayton Vaughn died instantly and his girlfriend, who was driving, was brought to the hospital with non-life-threatening wounds. He leaves behind a 4-month-old baby girl.
If anyone has information on who might have thrown the rock or other details on the crash, they should call the Decatur County Sheriff's Department at 812-663-8125.
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Cover Image Source: YouTube | WRTV Indianapolis
