Bryan Deffinger began working as a truck driver in May. After only a few months on the job, he experienced a near-death experience on the job.”It was just a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity,” he said.Deffinger was traveling on U.S. 127 in Camden, Ohio, Thursday when he said a red car traveling the opposite direction crossed over the yellow line and into his lane. His first instinct was to move into the shoulder of the road — but a guardrail forced Deffinger’s truck down an embankment instead.”I was trying to keep control of (the truck),” he said. “My cab was shaking.”Deffinger’s truck came to a stop at the bottom of the embankment. The truck was badly damaged and Deffinger was trapped in it.”The left, driver-side cab was crushed in,” he said. “The top was crashed…it was about an inch from my head. I looked down and my leg was trapped.”Deffinger said he couldn’t find his phone, but he found another way to call for help: his Apple Watch. He asked Siri to call 911.Soon, help arrived. Deffinger had to be extracted from the truck using the jaws of life, he said. Deffinger has a badly bruised leg, but the driver of the red sedan suffered a broken collar bone and ankle, police said.Deffinger — a husband and a father of six — said he has plenty to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.”I hug my kids and my wife tighter,” he said. “So much more to be thankful for this year for sure.”
