Photo: Sergi Karplyuk
Skill and defensive driving aside, certain people are luckier than others when behind the wheel and we’re here to show you a man that definitely has a hefty chance of taking home the “luckiest driver of 2015” award.
Yes, we are talking about the man in the image above, who, believe it or not, managed to escape being sandwiched between two semi-trucks with only minor injuries. It all happened while Kaleb Whitby, 27, was driving his Chevrolet Silverado on the I-84 near Baker City on Saturday morning.
As his Chevy was struggling to loose speed, the man witnessed the semi truck swaying and eventually jacknifing. Alas, he wasn’t able to stop his pickup truck in time, rear-ending the semi.
This left his Silverado with the bed sticking out into traffic. Before the 27-year old could do anything, a second semi-truck hit his vehicle from behind. The impact was strong enough to sandwich Whitby’s Chevrolet between the two semis - while the bed was crushed by the truck behind, the front end was pushed under the semi in front of him.
While the remains of the Silverado can hardly be called a passenger cell, the structure of the car did a majestic job at protecting the driver, as the area around the driver’s seat remained almost intact.
In case you are wondering who took the photo, which shows the driver displaying surprising calmness, we have to tell you the pic was snapped by another driver caught in the ordeal - Sergi Karplyuk asked for Whitby’s permission and subsequently helped the trapped man get out of his car.
While Whitby was transported to a hospital as a precaution measure, he only suffered minor injuries.
While 26 vehicles were actually involved in the unfortunate event, the authorities declared the accident left between 50 and 70 vehicles stranded on site. Multiple separate crashes took place over a length of about three quarters of a mile on the eastbound lanes.
How it all happened
He was involved in a serious pileup that took place just after 5AM, seeing about 26 vehicles falling pray to black ice and fog. Whitby was traveling eastbound when he saw the brake lights of a semi through the fog ahead of him.As his Chevy was struggling to loose speed, the man witnessed the semi truck swaying and eventually jacknifing. Alas, he wasn’t able to stop his pickup truck in time, rear-ending the semi.
This left his Silverado with the bed sticking out into traffic. Before the 27-year old could do anything, a second semi-truck hit his vehicle from behind. The impact was strong enough to sandwich Whitby’s Chevrolet between the two semis - while the bed was crushed by the truck behind, the front end was pushed under the semi in front of him.
While the remains of the Silverado can hardly be called a passenger cell, the structure of the car did a majestic job at protecting the driver, as the area around the driver’s seat remained almost intact.
In case you are wondering who took the photo, which shows the driver displaying surprising calmness, we have to tell you the pic was snapped by another driver caught in the ordeal - Sergi Karplyuk asked for Whitby’s permission and subsequently helped the trapped man get out of his car.
While Whitby was transported to a hospital as a precaution measure, he only suffered minor injuries.
Alas, others people involved in the pileup weren’t as lucky
While nobody was killed in the crashes, there were certain people who were taken to the hospital in serious condition.While 26 vehicles were actually involved in the unfortunate event, the authorities declared the accident left between 50 and 70 vehicles stranded on site. Multiple separate crashes took place over a length of about three quarters of a mile on the eastbound lanes.
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