Runaway truck stopped in spectacular action

A courageous truck driver and police joined forces on Wednesday evening to bring an out-of-control 40-ton vehicle to a halt on the German autobahn, authorities said.

The articulated truck, whose 54-year-old driver had collapsed and died at the wheel, was seen crashing repeatedly against the cement median barrier on the A1 highway near the western city of Cologne as it continued rolling at 15 kilometers (9 miles) per hour.

Several truck drivers blocked other road users from approaching the uncontrolled vehicle from behind, while another truck driver and a car driver ran alongside it and attempted to smash the passenger window.

Read more: Autobahn deaths prompt calls to punish rubberneckers 

Police praise

Police then arrived in a patrol van and used their vehicle to slow the truck. The 43-year-old truck driver climbed up to the windshield of the driverless truck from the back bumper of the police car, smashed the glass with a window hammer and clambered into the cabin, where he managed to bring the vehicle to a stop.

It was too late to help the driver who had lost control, with a medic arriving at the scene only able to confirm his death.

The 43-year-old suffered cuts that were treated at the scene, police said, praising the man's bravery.

Read more: Everything you need to know about the German autobahn 

tj/rt (AFP, dpa)

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