WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. — Christopher Plummer learned on Tuesday that his uncle had been involved in an incident on the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge, where he was stopped for driving the wrong way.
The incident itself happened on Tuesday morning when the driver of a semi truck drove the wrong way on the I-55 bridge, blocking traffic. Plummer, a resident of Westfield, Indiana, searched for a story until he found NEA Report’s article. He watched the video with his mother, who confirmed the truck that had been stopped was his uncle’s.
“My uncle is a 75-year-old Vietnam vet, doesn’t smoke, drink, or do drugs,” Plummer said. “[He’s] been driving for over 20 years. He’s not new.”
Speculation ran rampant among readers who wanted answers. While still seeking answers, the family hoped to correct some of the misinformation. Because the story went viral so fast, it was a daunting task.
“What we do know is that morning, he had a headache,” Plummer said. “He had a bad headache. He took three aspirin. Then he got on the road.”
The truck driver, a resident of Kentucky, has no memory of what happened on Tuesday when he was pulled from his truck, Plummer said. The family mentioned several signs that could indicate a stroke, though no medical confirmation has been provided.
“This was not intentional,” Plummer said. “He’s not a foreigner. This has nothing to do with the unfortunate situation in Florida. The family is very happy that no one was hurt and there was no accident.”
The video ends showing his uncle being taken into custody. Plummer said he was not arrested, and after the video stopped, police sought medical attention for the man when they realized something was wrong. The driver, whose family has asked us not to name him, was hospitalized in the ICU of a nearby hospital. On Thursday morning (Aug. 28), the family said he had been downgraded from the ICU, and his speech was normal.
Fortunately, the man was not physically injured while being detained, Plummer said.
“We don’t have any issues with how the officers handled it. As someone who volunteers with the police department, I didn’t really see anything different that I don’t think anyone would have done.”
NEA Report has requested any applicable reports from the Arkansas State Police on the incident, but no reports were available as of this publication.
For now, family members want the public to know this was not intentional or malicious. With the video and story having now been seen by millions on different news pages, Plummer has concerns that someone might try to show up on his uncle’s farm in Kentucky.
“There’s a human element to this, and I don’t think people really get it until it starts happening to them,” Plummer said.
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The sad part is, he’s 75 y/o and still driving a truck instead of enjoying his retirement. I hope he’s well. It could’ve ended really bad.
Stop blaming the age all the time other factors come into play and maybe we can’t stop driving and retire