You would see on one of those shows, wow, that s incredible, but it s happening real life. and, like, you would never expect it at all. finally another video that shows just how important it is to heed strong wind warnings. a big rig traveling near reno, nevada, is blown over like a sail, shocking the 72-year-old driver. i was thinking what happened? why am i off the ground? and i had no idea that a wind could do that, could move that truck that easy. apparently it did. it s december 2008, and truck driver dean hicks from grand rapids, michigan, enters the washoe valley with an empty truck. he s on his way to nearby carson city to reload. i did not feel any wind at all. no wind that would scare me or give me any indication that there was danger there. hicks has never ridden in the washoe valley before, but police
when i knew i was going over, i braced myself and held on for dear life. when the truck finally hit the ground it seemed like it rolled forever. when it finally came to a stop, the first thing that hit my mind was, it stopped. it stopped! i thought it would never stop. finally when it did, everything in the truck had fell over on top of me, laying on one side. john jesse sees it all play out, just as he feared. the stunning footage captured on his dashboard camera. i remember my reaction from within the car just saying, uh-oh, this is not going to be good. he approaches the truck thinking the driver could be seriously hurt, but out pops dean hicks from the top of the truck with barely a scratch. i was in a state of shock. i told john that i was finished driving.
Uh-oh, this is notoing to be good. he approaches the truck thinking the driver could be seriously hurt, but out pops dean hicks from the top of the truck with barely a scratch. i was in a state of shock. i told john that i was finished driving. john jesse helps hicks to his patrol car, calms him down, and later makes sure he has a hotel room for the night, something hicks has not forgotten. he went over and beyond the call of duty in taking care of me, carrying me to a hotel, to recommend that they give me a nice room, that i had had an accident, and they gave me one of the best rooms for half price. and i don t care where you re from, you can t beat that anywhere. how are you doing? hicks and officer jesse reunite for the first time five months later back in reno. good to see you. you are such an officer, i ll tell you what. i didn t know how bad it looked until i saw the video that you took of it. i saw it on television. and i said, that s my truck. hicks tells jesse
he tries desperately to countersteer the truck and straighten it out, but he s outmaneuvered by the wind. when i knew i was going over, i braced myself and held on for dear life. when the truck finally hit the ground it seemed like it rolled forever. when it finally came to a stop, the first thing that hit my mind was, it stopped. it stopped! i thought it would never stop. finally when it did, everything in the truck had fell over on top of me, laying on one side. john jesse sees it all play out, just as he feared. the stunning footage captured on his dashboard camera. i remember my reaction from within the car just saying,
Give me any indication that there was danger there. hicks has never ridden in the washoe valley before, but police officer john jesse knows in these parts when the wind picks up, it can be a doozy. you can t go through the valley and you don t want go through washoe valley when the wind s that high. officer jesse sees hicks pass by and races to pull him over. there s an advisory that day prohibiting high-profile vehicles from being on the road, but hicks doesn t see it. he s approaching the windy valley and immediately feels wind between 60 and 80 miles an hour. he tries to slow his truck down, but it s too late. the first inkling in my mind was when the truck got quiet, once it came up on two wheels, there was no noise anymore. i looked in my mirror and that the wheels were off the ground and panic struck. in an instant, i tried to think of what to do, what can i do?