Alex Trelinski
POLICE say it was a miracle that a tragedy was avoided after a drunk lorry driver spooked motorists for 20 kilometres on the AP-7 motorway in Valencia.
The Murcia-bound driver, 44, was found to be eight times over the alcohol limit, after getting behind the wheel of his 40-tonne truck.
He was so intoxicated that he could barely climb down from his cab at a petrol station in Alberic.
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The drama unfolded last Friday afternoon with two-off duty police officers playing a key role in making sure the truck didn’t collide with other vehicles.
An off-duty Valencia Policia Local officer was going home after finishing his shift and spotted the large vehicle veering between lanes and using the hard shoulder.
He officer contacted emergency services but they said it would take some time for a Guardia Civil Trafico patrol to reach the area.
Nevertheless a second off-duty officer- this time from the Guardia- joined forces with him to stop vehicles trying to overtake the truck, therefore cutting down the risk of an accident.
“We knew we had to slow down the traffic to prevent him from colliding with anyone,” the Valencia officer said.
The lorry was on the southbound carriageway, and at one stage, it brushed a guard rail near Picassent jail which probably stopped it from leaving the road.
After some 20 kilometres, the truck driver left the AP-7 at the Alberic exit and parked up at a service station, where the officer collared him and told him not to go anywhere until the Guardia Civil arrived.
He was breathalysed and could barely stand up once eventually got out of his vehicle.
The driver could lose his licence for four years and be jailed for at least six months.
