Firefighters Save Driver Hanging Off Icy Mountain Road

When your car slides off an icy mountain road and hangs over the edge, every second feels like an eternity. That's exactly what happened to a woman driving home on McCloud Mountain Trail in LaFollette, Tennessee on Tuesday afternoon.

Around 4:30pm, as freezing rain poured down, her Subaru sedan lost traction on the snowy, icy road. The car slipped off the edge at the third switchback, leaving her stranded and unable to get out safely without sending the vehicle tumbling down the mountainside.

Despite the terrifying situation, she kept her cool and called for help. Campbell County Rural Fire Service firefighters rushed to the scene, battling the same dangerous conditions that caused the accident.

The rescue team secured a strap to the car so the driver could exit without causing it to fall. She made it out shaken but completely uninjured, thanks to the quick thinking of both her and her rescuers.

The Bright Side

This story shows emergency responders at their finest. Chief Daniel Lawson and his team didn't hesitate, even though the conditions were so treacherous that four emergency vehicles (two fire trucks and two sheriff's department vehicles) got stuck in the ice during the rescue operation.

Getting those emergency vehicles unstuck and safely off the mountain took more than an hour after the woman was saved. Every responder made it down safely, turning what could have been a tragedy into a testament to skill and dedication.

The woman, who lives at the top of the mountain, is home safe tonight because strangers dropped everything to help her in her most frightening moment.

In dangerous conditions where even experienced emergency crews struggled, teamwork and courage made all the difference.