News & Politics - Truck falls off bridge onto car

Ambular · 01-26-2005, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Truck falls off bridge onto car
Cleveland Hts. woman below suffers only minor injuries
Wednesday, January 26, 2005

Truck driver Patrick McCray drives Interstate 71 near downtown Cleveland every night, hauling auto parts from Michigan.

But his journey Tuesday was anything but routine.

About 1 a.m., McCray's tractor-trailer rig toppled off a bridge over Ohio 176 -- the Jennings Freeway -- and landed on a car being driven by a Cleveland Heights woman, who walked away from her demolished Honda Accord.

McCray said he lost control of his tractor-trailer when it skidded on ice. "As soon as I felt a crash was inevitable, I closed my eyes and braced myself for impact," he said, speaking Tuesday evening by telephone from his Bay City, Mich., home. McCray didn't realize he had landed on a car until a bystander told him.

"I walked around the truck and when I saw that car, I thought someone was dead," he said. "That's an awful feeling."

The car's driver had already gotten out alive.

Anna Martinez, 25, was driving north on Ohio 176 near the Interstate 90 split when the truck smashed into her small car. Martinez declined to speak to reporters.

Police said McCray's truck hit a barrier, flipped and rolled off the bridge, dropping about 40 feet. The father of six drives for Blue Line Trucking Inc. He said this was his first accident in the three years he has been a trucker.

McCray's wife drove to Ohio to pick him up. They stopped at G&M Towing's impound lot to retrieve his belongings.

The truck "was not a pretty sight," he said.

A G&M employee said the impact was tremendous. It bent the truck's axles.

Martinez and McCray were treated and released from MetroHealth Medical Center. She is 22 weeks pregnant, Cleveland police Lt. Wayne Drummond said.

McCray would not let doctors staple gashes in his head.

"I don't have a high tolerance for pain," he said.

He's wearing a neck brace because a couple of vertebrae were damaged, he said.

And he isn't feeling lucky.

"How can anyone say that?" he said. "I landed on a car. Someone could have been killed."

I just think that's unbelievable that both survived!

Vampires_Bite · 01-27-2005, 06:16 AM

When i read the title i thought someone was dead for sure. Its amazing that they got off so easy (compared to what it could have been!)

roswellain_chick16 · 01-28-2005, 02:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ambular

I just think that's unbelievable that both survived! :eek

I agree, I was a bit weary to come and have a look because I was sure there would be a fatality

phyco52 · 01-28-2005, 01:06 PM

wait.........

......are you sure that nobody died.............the title alone.......I seriously thought someone had died........that is just freaking amazing that neither one of them died.........

Cutiegrrl884 · 01-31-2005, 09:09 AM

That is so amazing that they both suprised. I would have been so scared if it had been me in that car.


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