Witness Describes Crash That Injured FHP Trooper
FT. LAUDERDALE (CBS4) - A man who witnessed a crash that seriously injured a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper said he's never been so scared in his life.
Gary Williams says he was standing only a few feet away from the patrol car when a pickup truck plowed into it Friday just after 5 p.m. The accident caused a chain-reaction crash on I-95 in Ft. Lauderdale.
"I heard the rumble strips, turned around and looked. I heard the bang and saw the car about ten feet in the air," he said.
FHP identified the trooper inside that car as Felecia Andrews, 33. She had pulled over to investigate a three-vehicle crash. Williams said he was rear-ended in the fender bender and described Trooper Andrews as extremely kind helping him when his truck wouldn't start after the accident.
"She helped me push my truck out of the road. I thought this is cool she's a good person and then this happens to her. You can't comprehend that," he said.
After running to get out of the way of crashing cars, Williams said he went to check on the trooper. After seeing her crumpled car, he said he feared the worst.
"Personally I thought she didn't make it that's why I was surprised when I opened the door she was moving, mumbling something. She was a little incoherent because the car was just destroyed I was just amazed," said Williams.
Andrews was airlifted to the hospital in serious condition.
Williams says he didn't realize until after the crash that his truck had also been hit and sent careening across five lanes of traffic into a tree on the opposite side of the highway.
"I was the only one out of the car. I guess it actually kept me from getting injured in way shape or form," said Williams.
The FHP said Derek Nelson, 33, was driving the pickup that hit the Andrews' car and caused the chain-reaction crash. Investigators are still working to determine whether he was impaired at the time of the crash and charges are pending. He was taken to the hospital in serious condition Friday.
