Azusa Man Critical After He Crashes Pickup Truck At 90MPH When Accelerator Jammed
AZUSA (CBSLA.com) — An Azusa man remains in critical condition after he says his accelerator on his pickup truck got stuck and he crashed his vehicle going 90 mph Sunday afternoon.
He wrecked his car on the 210 Freeway. After he crashed, his car also flipped.
KCAL9's Rachel Kim spoke to the pickup driver's shaken family Friday night.
"We're praying and we're just trying to stay strong and we're all trying to think positive," said Griffin Robben, 26.
She spoke to Robben just as he returned home from visiting his older brother -- 29 year-old Trevor Robben -- in the hospital.
Trevor is suffering from a variety of broken bones, including a fractured spine and skull following the terrifying crash.
"911 emergency. What are you reporting?," the dispatcher said.
"My accelerator is stuck and I have no idea what to do. My cruise control will not turn off," he said.
He was doing 90, on the 210, in his 2000 Nissan Frontier. He realized his cruise control was stuck and told the dispatcher he couldn't get his car to stop or slow down.
"You can't change gears on your vehicle, you can't get it into neutral?" said the dispatcher.
"No, I can't even put on my e-brake, I can't do anything.. My car is swerving all over the place, I don't know what's going on," Robben said.
"I felt like I was in his shoes, I was scared for him. I almost felt like I was in the passenger's seat. People may think he was calm right there, but I can tell in his voice he was not calm," said his brother.
"Ma'am, I'm scared out of my life," Trevor told the dispatcher. "I'm just afraid of people getting hit, ma'am."
After several minutes on the phone, Trevor lost control, hit an elevated embankment and sound wall, then went airborne and ended up back on the freeway where his truck finally flipped. The CHP says Trevor was not wearing his seat belt and was ejected from his car. Griffin believes his brother was just trying to jump out of the vehicle before impact.
"The 911 call, it just hit me. The things you take for granted in life. The little things like your brother, just hearing his voice, just knowing he's around," said Griffin.
The CHP says the accident remains under investigation.