03/17/2026
We need to take care of each other out here. Sometimes that's the thing that saves you and me
Passing Trucker Spots Damaged Guardrail and Skid Marks, Finds West Virginia Truck Driver Trapped Upside Down With Head Underwater in Overturned Cab and Saves His Life — Driver Charged With Failure to Maintain Control
MASON COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA — A truck driver was flown to a hospital after being trapped upside down with his head partially submerged in water following a crash off an embankment on State Route 62, rescued in part thanks to a fellow truck driver who spotted the wreck and called for help.
At approximately 9 a.m. on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, Dennis Busman, 50, of Troy, was traveling northbound in a semi truck and trailer along Graham Station Road near the 1200 block of State Route 62 when he entered a right-hand turn and was unable to complete it, going through the left guardrail and over an embankment. The vehicle rolled onto its top in the river overflow below, leaving Busman entrapped inside the cab upside down, with his head partially in the water, his hands pinned against the crushed steering wheel on the windshield, and his leg caught inside the vehicle, making it impossible for him to move.
A passing truck driver, Scott Cadle, spotted the skid marks and damaged guardrail while driving along the same road and stopped to investigate. "I saw the skid marks and the guardrail was down," Cadle said. He went toward the edge of the embankment and called out, and was surprised when Busman responded. "He was upside down. His head was in the water. He had to kind of move his head to hold it up to breathe," Cadle said. "I thought, oh man, I got to get him out of here." Cadle immediately called 911 and attempted to free Busman while waiting for help to arrive. "We busted the window out and we didn't have anything to work with but a bar, so we couldn't get the door open," Cadle said.
West Virginia State Police said it is unclear exactly how long Busman was trapped in the water before Cadle found him, but that it was believed to be "quite a while." Busman was conscious and speaking with rescuers as firefighters worked to free him from the vehicle. He was subsequently flown to CAMC General Hospital in Charleston, where he was treated for broken ribs. Busman was charged with failure to maintain control.
Officials said the tractor-trailer leaked diesel into Brinker Run, but crews were able to contain the spill. Before the truck could be raised from the water, crews had to drain the remaining diesel and remove sections of the damaged guardrail. Graham Station Road was shut down for several hours as crews worked at the scene. At the time of reporting, crews had still not been able to raise the truck out of the water. The West Virginia Department of Transportation is still inspecting the tractor-trailer, and the investigation remains ongoing.
