FLORISTON, Calif. A truck driver was critically injured Friday after his tractor-trailer overturned on Interstate 80 and crashed through a bridge railing near the California-Nevada state line, leaving the cab hanging high above the ground.
The single-vehicle crash happened at approximately 10:45 a.m. on August 28 in the eastbound lanes near Floriston Way, according to information released by the California Highway Patrol and Caltrans.
Photographs from the scene showed the trailer lying on its side across the roadway while the tractor remained attached and hung over the edge of the bridge. CHP incident information indicated the cab was suspended roughly 80 feet above the area below.
A tractor-trailer hangs over the side of an Interstate 80 bridge near Floriston, California, following a crash on August 28, 2026. (Photo: CHP Truckee)
The driver was reportedly ejected as the truck crashed through the railing. Emergency crews reached the driver along the embankment and began an extensive rescue operation.
Care Flight transported the driver to a hospital with major injuries. Truckee Meadows Firefighters later described the driver’s condition as critical. Authorities have not released the driver’s name.
No other vehicles were reportedly involved.
Multiagency rescue operation
The position of the truck and the injured driver created a difficult scene for emergency responders.
Truckee Fire, Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue, the California Highway Patrol, Cal Fire, the Tahoe National Forest and Care Flight were among the agencies responding.
Crews had to stabilize the overturned tractor-trailer while rescuers worked below the bridge. Caltrans later separated the tractor from the trailer so the truck could be removed without pulling the remaining equipment over the edge.
A loader clears debris from Interstate 80 as crews work to reopen the highway following a tractor-trailer crash near Floriston, California. (Photo: CHP Truckee)
All eastbound lanes of I-80 were initially closed, and traffic was turned around or diverted at Hirschdale Road and Overland Trail. The closure created miles of delays for motorists traveling toward Reno and the Lake Tahoe region.
One eastbound lane reopened shortly before 4 p.m. while crews continued removing the trailer, repairing the damaged barrier and clearing debris from the roadway.
Cause remains under investigation
CHP said the truck apparently lost control while traveling across the bridge, but authorities have not determined what caused that loss of control.
Weather conditions in the Sierra were wet Friday, according to Caltrans, though investigators have not said whether weather or road conditions contributed to the crash.
No information has been released about the trucking company, the cargo being transported or where the driver was headed.
The investigation remains ongoing. TWOSU News will update this story if CHP releases additional information about the driver’s condition or the cause of the crash.
