LOUISVILLE, Ky. — We now have a first-person dramatic look at the Clark Memorial Bridge crash that left a semi-truck driver hanging over the Ohio River on March 1.
Video from inside and outside the truck's cab was played in court Wednesday morning as the man charged in the crash appeared in court.
The dashcam video shows 33-year-old Trevor Branham's pickup truck swerving out of his lane to avoid hitting an electric vehicle that stalled on the bridge. He then crashed into a Sysco semi-truck, driven by 26-year-old Sydney Thomas.
As Thomas tried to avoid hitting other vehicles, her semi plows through the bridge's railing and she is left hanging nearly 100 feet above the Ohio River for about 45 minutes.
Following the crash, Louisville firefighters conducted a daring rescue to get Thomas out of the semi-truck's cab.
Branham is charged with four counts of wanton endangerment and one count of operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license.
For the first time since the crash and rescue, Thomas spoke exclusively with WHAS11's Doug Proffitt this week about the harrowing experience seen across the world. You can watch the interview on Thursday, May 16 at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. on WHAS11.
Attorney: 'It's a traffic accident that happens everyday'
Assistant County Attorney at Jefferson County Attorney's Office Liem Sokhon used the video evidence to lay out the county's case against Branham.
"This is the result, manifesting extreme indifference to human life, that could result in serious physical injury or death," Sokhon said.
As Thomas and her truck dangled over the Ohio, police worked to detain Branham, and learned he was already facing charges out of Indiana for driving on a suspended license.
"I guess for other traffic infractions," LMPD Det. Clarence Beauford said.
Beaufort provided testimony during Wednesday's preliminary hearing.
"[Witnesses] said that, in their estimate, he was speeding, and that he was changing in and out of lanes of traffic prior to collision occurring," he said.
Branham's attorney, Scott Barton, argued for lesser charges, saying there were no serious injuries or deaths.
"It's a traffic accident that happens every day," Barton said. "This one just happens to be on the news. And they charge it as [first-degree wanton endangerment] because it's on the news."
In court Wednesday, the judge decided to keep Branham's bond at $20,000.
A grand jury is expected to review the case on June 17.
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