FedEx driver, 27, near death after falling from his truck while driving down Highway 70
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The victim, Joseph Madewell, 27, was on life support Saturday afternoon at Erlanger Medical Center and family members said plans were being made to disconnect Madewell from external support given a doctor’s report which revealed massive head injuries he sustained had caused brain death.
Madewell fell from the open passenger-side door of his delivery truck around 4:25 p.m. Friday as he was traveling eastbound (away from McMinnville) on the four-lane of Highway 70 near Campaign. The reason for his fall from the moving truck remains shrouded in mystery, leaving investigators to only surmise what caused his fatal tumble. A pair of motorists witnessed his fall.
Highway Patrolman Mike Tanner, who is a veteran accident reconstructionist, admitted the accident was one of the most unusual he has seen.
When lawmen arrived at the scene, Madewell was found lying in the eastbound lane of the highway. His delivery truck was nearly 1,000 feet away, atop a hill on the other side of the four-lane.
A preliminary investigation revealed the truck kept moving after Madewell fell out, and continued across the median, across the oncoming lanes of traffic, up a steep embankment at a sharp angle, and then came to rest after running into a fence at the top of the hill. Officers were at a loss to explain how the loaded truck failed to overturn on the steep embankment. Speculation was that Madewell may have had cruise control engaged; however, a preliminary search of the truck found no cruise control mechanism.
As for the cause of the tragedy, Tanner believes Madewell was reaching for something on the passenger side of the truck and was perhaps in a half standing position when his truck ran onto the median and bounced him across the compartment and out the open passenger-side door. Tanner found evidence Madewell may have swiped across the dash on the passenger side in a last-second attempt to prevent himself from falling out of the truck.
Both doors of the delivery truck were found in an open position and Madewell was not wearing his seatbelt. However, investigators say it is not unusual for delivery persons in such trucks to drive with the doors open to make it easier for them to exit quickly to make their deliveries.
The grave injuries were suffered by Madewell when he struck his head on the asphalt. Indications are he was going the speed limit (65 mph) or slightly less when he fell.
He was airlifted from the scene by LifeForce helicopter. Family members said his condition deteriorated beyond hope Friday evening, leading to the plans to switch off life support.