Canton woman thankful to be alive after hit-and-run left vehicle dangling from overpass
PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - In a video viewed more than 10 million times online, 54-year-old Canton mother of two Marilena Marrelli says she is brought to tears every time she watches it.
"I break down. I'm thinking I have children. I have a 26-year-old and a 29-year-old. They could have been going to their mother's funeral," Marrelli says.
While driving down M-14 in Plymouth Township on Friday, Aug.18, Marrelli says she was hit by another driver.
"All of a sudden, I just felt the boom on my driver's side, and after that, I just didn't see anything. It was like a tornado hit me," Marrelli says.
Before she knew it, her car was teetering more than 30 feet above the freeway.
"My car was hanging. I thought I was going to die. I thought my car was going to tip over and I would fall to my death," Marrelli said.
The driver at fault fled the scene. But right when Marrelli thought she had no chance to make it out alive, a door opened on her passenger side.
"By the grace of God, a man stopped. He was with his son. He pulled over on M-14, ran up the hill, and pulled me out of the car," she said.
Marrelli says she was able to walk away from the hit-and-run with bumps, bruises, and some soreness. However, what she says sticks with her is watching back how someone can hit her and drive away, leaving her hanging on for dear life.
"It's like the movie where you see the car, and all of a sudden, it toppled over and falls down wherever it goes. I'm thinking I'm going to be killed, and then I'm going to land on somebody and kill somebody else below," Marrelli says.
While the fleeing driver has yet to be caught, Marrelli says she can't thank the man who pulled her out of her car enough for saving her life.
"I'm very, very thankful that I'm alive. Thank you for that person who pulled me out of my car," Marrelli says.
Anyone who has information about the incident is asked to contact police.