A US Postal Service truck was filmed falling off a 50-foot bridge into the Charles river outside Boston.
Video of the incident on Saturday afternoon was shared by the State Police Association of Massachusetts on Monday.
The USPS truck, which was transporting mail, had skidded and crossed over a ramp before plunging into the river off the bridge in seconds.
The exact cause of the accident is under investigation, according to officials, but the unnamed driver did receive minor citations.
“We are citing the driver for excessive speed and a marked lanes violation, both of which are civil infractions,” State Police spokesman David Procopio told the Boston Globe. “The investigation is ongoing to determine if any other charges are warranted.”
State troopers and Weston Fire Department officials arrived at the site in minutes and found the driver, who could not swim, standing atop the truck.
“He was just saying he was really cold,” deputy fire chief Justin Woodside told Boston 25 News.
Doctors said the driver had miraculously avoided injuries, reported NBC Boston.
Mr Woodside said there had been an increase in the number of accidents on Route 128, where the USPS truck had fallen off.
“Since they have taken out the toll booths there at what used to be Interchange 14 at the Mass Pike [the Massachusetts Turnpike toll highway], we’ve seen an increase in tractor-trailer rollovers on both of those ramps,” he said.
“Usually we see them roll over and they end up on the bridge and we said one of these days somebody’s going to be going either fast or something’s going to happen and they’re going to end up in the river (sic),” he added.
While the truck broke in half because of the impact of the collision and subsequent fall into the river, police said they could recover many of the packages it was carrying.
“The disposition of any mail on board will be determined by Postal Inspectors once their investigation is completed,” the USPS said in a statement.
