A man is lucky to be alive after falling out of a moving RV along the 14 Freeway near Newhall in a terrifying moment captured on dashcam.
A witness, who ran along the center divider to help the fallen man, described the moment of chaos and panic.
Alf Smithey, who was driving along the southbound 14 Freeway about 30 miles north of Los Angeles at around 11:30 a.m. Monday, said he saw the RV going from the right lane to the left before eventually crashing into the median barrier.
“You just see dust, smoke. [The driver] slides along the center divider for 600 feet or so,” described Smithey, who stopped his car and ran out to help, thinking there could be children trapped inside the crashed RV.
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When he reached the RV, Smithey said he quickly figured out someone may have flown out the window.
“She kept saying, ‘My husband is not here. My husband is not here.’ Then she kept looking out the window behind her.”
Smithey, who said the female driver fell asleep at the wheel, immediately jumped to action and ran back along the center divider to find the fallen man.
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“He had a big old gash on his forehead. I think it was from hitting the window. He was the passenger. He flew across her and hit the window. I think that’s what saved his life because if the window was open, he could have landed into oncoming traffic.”
Smithey said the man was conscious and able to have a conversation despite apparent broken bones. And what struck the good Samaritan was the man, who fell out of the moving car, appeared to be more fearful for his wife behind the wheel.
“His biggest concern was, ‘How was my wife?’ I was like, ‘You’re the one who flew out of the vehicle.’ He was more concerned about her.”
The CHP confirmed the ejected passenger was later found near the Los Pinetos exit on the northbound 14 Freeway. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition.
