The Florida Highway Patrol has released incredible footage of a garbage truck falling down 75 feet from a highway.
The video shows the truck hitting a concrete barrier on Interstate 95.
The driver, Kaseem Smith, was thrown out of the cab but lived, officials said. The incident took place on Feb. 15, but it was only released on Monday.
A Florida Highway Patrol spokesman, Joe Sanchez, said Smith appeared to be looking toward his right when he hit an inside wall. After that, the tried to correct his direction and drove off a ramp, reported NBC Miami.
“He basically focused on something else, so he is driving carelessly. He collides twice with the wall and that’s when he overreacts,” he said.
Sanchez added to WSVN-TV it is a “miracle that he survived.”
Smith was hospitalized, but he’s since been released.
“I thought my brother was gone,” said Smith’s sister, according to WSVN. “I was like, ‘He’s dead.’ Can’t nobody survive that. Like, he’s dead. I honestly thought he was dead. I just kept calling and his fiancée called me and told me, ‘Kaseem is still alive.’ He was literally breathing, still on the ground.”
Miami City Manager Daniel Alfonso released a statement.
“We are very happy that Mr. Kaseem Smith has been released from the hospital and that he survived this crash which the video shows is nothing short of a miracle. The recording is proof that this technology works and can provide answers about driving events that would otherwise be difficult to assess,” he said.
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