A major accident involving two trucks Wednesday left one man trapped in his vehicle and needing medical treatment. But, an official at the scene said he didn't believe his injuries were life-threatening.

Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Kevin Arnold, who investigated the incident, said an 18-wheeler log truck was traveling northbound on Highway 43 toward Marshall when it crashed into another truck attempting to cross the highway that was traveling eastbound on Farm-to-Market road 2625.

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Witnesses say the man in the log truck had attempted to warn the other truck of its presence by pressing the vehicle's horns and pumping its breaks, but that the driver of the other truck still was not aware of him.

The log truck then swerved and crashed into a ditch off the side of the roadway — parts of its vehicle turned sideways.

MFD Battalion Chief Andy Smith said the accident occurred around 10:33 a.m.

"I have not talked to the driver of the log truck yet, so I don't have his side of the story," said Arnold. "But the evidence shows that he's probably going to agree with what everybody else is saying."

Brad Collier was traveling behind the log truck before the accident occurred.

"(The driver of the truck traveling eastbound on 2625) was stopped" at a stop sign "and just at the last minute, he started coming out and the guy in the log truck swerved and laid on his horn and locked his brakes and everything and this guy just kept coming across and they hit," he said. "I couldn't believe it. It was like an explosion."

Josh Lenamond, who was also at the scene, said he rushed over to see if he could assist the victim and found that the man couldn't move because he was pinned by the steering wheel. Smoke had also begun to emanate from the trucks radiator, but Lenamond was able contain it before firefighters arrived to the scene.

Lenamond then broke one of the back windows to let air circulate in the vehicle as the victim was struggling to breathe because of the smoke.

"The radiator bust and all the smoke came out so I brought my fire extinguisher because I thought it might be on fire," said Lenamond. "I pushed the steering wheel up over him so he could breathe."

Collier said the victim appeared to be OK, but that he suffered some lacerations to his face and was complaining about his legs.

"The guy driving (eastbound on 2625) said 'I never saw him.' I don't know how you miss a big truck coming," said Collier. "It could have been a lot worse than what it was. The good Lord put his hands down."

For Shonda Irvine, the incident was eerily familiar. Two years ago, her brother died after colliding head-on with another vehicle in Henderson — where she was on her way to before she stopped to help the victim.

Ms. Irvine said she talked with the man before firefighters arrived to the scene. She described him as "conscious and alert."

"I've just been trying to keep him alert and oriented," she said. "I just asked about his wife and kids and talked to him. He gave us phone numbers, his wife's name, he told us about his kids and where his wife worked."

Ms. Irvine said she then contacted the victim's wife to notify her about the incident and update her about rescue efforts at the scene.

"I've just been talking to her to keep her calm," she said. "It's a miracle that man is alive. His trailer was inches from coming through the back glass."

The victim emerged from his severely damaged truck at around 11:30 a.m. as EMS workers swarmed around him. A laceration could be seen on his face — his T-shirt also bloody. He was then carefully placed on a stretcher and wheeled to a Marshall Fire Department ambulance truck.

Smith said officials had to use "hydraulic tools" to remove the vehicle's dashboard and lift its steering column to free the man. He said the victim didn't appear to suffer from "any broken bones or major injuries," but that he was unsure if there were any internal injuries.

The man was transferred to the Level One Trauma Center at Good Shepherd Medical Center in Longview, Smith said. The driver of the other vehicle didn't appear to suffer any major injuries and could be seen talking with investigating officials at the scene.

Officials from the Harrison County Sheriff's Office and the District Two Harrison County Volunteer Fire Department also responded to the accident.

"I heard the crash. I'm the one that called 911," said Larry Sanders, who was working from his home office nearby at the time of the accident. "I just hope he's alright."