SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (KSTU) — Annette Beaves won't soon forget her drive to work on Wednesday.
She was driving on I-215 in Utah when suddenly a piece of road debris came flying her way.
“I saw this giant metal bar coming right at me," she said. "It was terrifying. It was going so fast. It didn't bounce off the ground. I only had like a second to react. It did a couple of flips. Honestly, was like a giant ninja star. It was terrifying.”
Immediately swerving to the side of the highway, Beaves sat in shock while she called 911. Her ear was bleeding and much of her windshield was shattered.
"I was covered in glass," she said. "My entire car was covered in glass. If I wasn't wearing glasses, it would have gone in my eyes.”
Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Cody Ohlau says he's responding to more calls about road debris lately.
“Debris calls, I've definitely noticed more," said Trooper Cody Ohlau. "And I'm not sure if there really are more, maybe it's just happening when I'm working.”
Drivers can be fined for having an unsecured load, Ohlau warned. On top of that, they can be held liable for damaging other people’s cars.
“Make sure things are strapped down," said Ohlau. "Just a couple of weeks ago, I saw some people going up Redwood Road, and they had their arms out the window, and they're just holding a mattress on the top of their car, and that's not acceptable at all.”
Beaves was driving alone when the metal bar came crashing through her windshield. She didn’t even see where it came from, but she is grateful for her quick reaction.
“I could have died," said Beaves. "My life was in their hands.”
This story was originally reported by Jenna Bree on fox13now.com.
