Heroic firefighter who winched female trucker out of cab as it dangled off a bridge says she was 'overcome with emotion' after being saved

The firefighter who saved a female trucker from a crashed semi last week after it was left dangling off a bridge has offered new insight about the rescue.

Louisville firefighter Bryce Carden successfully retrieved the woman on Friday, after the truck she was driving was sent careening over the edge of the Clark-Memorial Bridge by a car that crossed into the oncoming lane.

The result was a scene out of a movie - with the 18-wheeler somehow threading the needle of the bridge's stanchions before becoming wedged between them.

This left the truck's cab dangling some 100 feet over the Ohio river, and the motorist hanging on for dear life. Fortunately, first-responders like Carden were at the scene, and were able to use a pulley system to pluck the woman from her precarious prison.

Sitting down with Good Morning America, he recalled the operation, and how the woman - whom has yet to be identified - was 'overcome with emotion'. 

Officials, meanwhile, revealed her to be a military vet, and food firm Sysco further confirmed she is an employee. Police's probe, as of writing, remains ongoing.

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The firefighter who saved a female trucker from a crashed semi last week after it was left dangling off a Louisville-area bridge has offered new insight about the heart-pounding rescue

Louisville firefighter Bryce Carden sat down with Good Morning America Monday to offer new details about the now widely seen rescue on Clark Memorial Bridge this past Friday

'She was, you know, scared,' recalled Carden, a member of the Louisville Fire Rescue Company with six years' experience.

'She was just like, 'Thank God, Thank God; help me', he went on, only a few days after he hoisted the woman to safety. 

'Finally, when she realized that she was safe and she was going to live, she was overcome with emotions, as anybody would be', Carden said.

Modest despite his heroics, he claimed to be 'a very small piece in a large puzzle,' and credited his success to other crewmembers who oversaw the operation 'topside,' as well as others deployed in boats underneath.

Thankful for his crew, he hailed the woman for her bravery - echoing statements from Louisville's own mayor, Craig Greenberg, after the ordeal brought much of the nation to a standstill.

'She is incredibly brave - she is incredibly fortunate,' Mayor Greenberg said in an in-person interview after the inccident.

The details add to insight already provided by Carden on Friday, when he and Fire Chief Brian O'Neill appeared for a press conference hours after the rescue. 

At the time, Carden recalled how he and the woman prayed as he took her into his arms, as officials later on would reveal it was another car that swerved into the wrong lane that caused the truck, owned by food supplier Sysco, to crash.

'She was praying a lot and I prayed with her,' Carden told onlookers a few hours after he and several other first responders were sent scrambling to the scene. 

'She was, you know, scared,' recalled Carden, a member of the Louisville Fire Rescue Company with six years' experience.

'She was just like, 'Thank God, Thank God; help me', he went on, only a few days after he hoisted the woman to safety.

'Finally, when she realized that she was safe and she was going to live, she was overcome with emotions, as anybody would be', Carden said. The crash sent about half of the truck and its trailer off the bridge, with the former only connected by the vehicle's tow hitch

Fire Chief Brian O'Neill also appeared on the program to provide his take on the incident, which is still under investigaiton

Carden's words echoed those of Louisville Craig Greenberg, who called the woman - whom was discharged from a hospital only hours after the crash - lucky

'We've done some crazy things, but this tops it all,' he continued, revealing Monday that the operation took a little over 40 minutes. 

He also revealed how his team trains for similar events on bridges and high-rise buildings, and were well-suited for the particular catastrophe. 

'It all goes back to training,' the fire official explained. 'We've done this probably a hundred times.

'Once I reached her she was super calm and collected, and allowed us to do what we do.'

'In the moment, you don't really think about it,' the Jefferson County Public Schools graduate added. 'Your training takes over. Everything slows down and you concentrate on what needs to be done.'

He went on to recall how the adrenaline didn't kick in until after he pulled the driver to safety - as surreal footage captured his heroics over the Ohio river.

That happened about a half hour after the woman's 18-wheeler smashed through barriers installed on the 100-year-old bridge, which connects Louisville with Southern Indiana.

Carden on Monday further explained how it took 40 minutes to set up the appropriate rope system, which was attached to a crane-like structure also deployed to the bridge.

It then took about a half hour to safely repel down to the hanging tractor-trailer, which was only connected to land by the vehicle's tow hitch.

Firefighters were able to see and communicate with the female motorist throughout the process, bother Carden and Chief O'Neill said Friday - with the latter also appearing alongside his subordinate virtually Monday to describe how lucky the still-unnamed woman is. 

The details add to insight already provided by Carden on Friday, when he revealed how he and the woman prayed as he took her into his arms

His appeared alongside Fire Chief O'Neill, who also spoke to Good Morning America Monday

'It all goes back to training,' the fire official said. 'We've done this probably a hundred times. 'Once I reached her she was super calm and collected, and allowed us to do what we do'

'In the moment, you don't really think about it,' Carden, a Jefferson County Public Schools graduate, added. 'Your training takes over. Everything slows down and you concentrate on what needs to be done'

'We've done some crazy things, but this tops it all,' he continued, citing how his team often trains for similar events on bridges and high-rise buildings

As of writing, it is unclear what caused the crash, which sent about half of the truck and its trailer off the bridge, though the driver - who was only connected to solid ground thank's to the several-ton vehicle's tow hitch - is said to be safe

Her rescue came around half an hour after the front end of the truck was sent dangling some 80 feet above the Ohio river, as Carden and others worked relentlessly to ready the complex pulley system

The truck belongs to food and kitchen appliance retailer Sysco, which issued a statement confirming the woman was a colleague. As of writing, the bridge remains closed, and it remains unclear if the truck has been removed. DailyMail.com has reached out to fire officials for comment

He added that the incident - despite concluding with a rescue - constituted a worst-case scenario, recalling: 'It was a constant concern that truck could shift at any moment.'

'It is tremendously lucky, if you look at the way that semitruck threaded the kneedle through those bride stanchions, but ended up getting wedged in there [and] not plowing through and ending up in the water,' he told GMA.

He added: 'It's extremely lucky that the entire truck didn't go into the river.'

Officials, meanwhile, are still vetting the incident, but have yet to reveal any of the other parties involved in the crash, saying only that another vehicle struck the woman's after wandering into the wrong lane.

Once the woman was removed, it took crews almost seven hours to remove the several-ton semi from the bridge, which remained closed for more than two days after the incident. 

They also said the driver was a military veteran, and cited this experience for her ability to remain calm throughout the roughly hourlong ordeal.

Photos and footage from the scene indicated that truck belonged to food and kitchen appliance retailer Sysco, which confirmed in a statement to DailyMail.com that the driver was a staffer, and has since been discharged from an area hospital.

The statement also saw the food company thank Carden for his heroics, which thanks to helicopters deployed to the scene, was seen by thousands.  

'Sysco is enormously grateful to rescue services and law enforcement who quickly and safely resolved the accident on the Clark Memorial Bridge,' a rep said.

'We are thankful our Sysco colleague is safe and are happy to report she has been discharged from the hospital. 

'We send our thoughts to others injured in the accident and wish them a full and speedy recovery. 

'Special thanks to Firefighter Bryce Carden for his courage, skill, and steely nerves! We salute you!

Around 45 minutes after the truck crashed over the barriers, the Louisville Police Department tweeted that 'the driver of the semi has been rescued from the cab of the vehicle and is on land', with Carden and O'Neil appearing for the brief a few hours later.  

Sysco, meanwhile, said it is cooperating with law enforcement's still-ongoing investigation.