The first severe weather event of the winter of 2021 left area roads, in the words of the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department, “100% ice”. This after freezing rain turned the roads in Central and North Central Iowa into veritable skating rinks the morning of Thursday December 9th.
A series of small crashes occurred on the slick roads throughout the area. But one very serious crash, a pileup involving eight semi trucks and one SUV, backed up traffic for miles, and resulted in the closure of the northbound lanes past exit 151on Interstate 35 — and an act of quick thinking heroism.
“You could hear the screeching of the metal,” veteran truck driver Brian Robbins told KCCI’s Andrew Mollenbeck. “You have 80,000 pounds of truck coming at you.”
With two hip replacements, and only moments to react, Robbins might have been hit by the out of control big rig. But fellow truck driver Mike Coates, who moments earlier had been assessing the damage to their trucks with Robbins, pulled Robbins to safety.
“Mike grabbed me by my arm, and he dove underneath his trailer,” Robbins told KCCI. “It pretty much saved my life.”
Before the accident the two men were strangers. But now Robbins is planning to invite Coates over for Christmas. As for his new friend’s heroism, Robbins said “it’s Iowa Strong. It’s what truckers do. They look out for each other. And it’s pretty amazing.”
