AUSTIN, Texas — A crash involving several vehicles, including a dump truck carrying a load of gravel, left traffic at FM 2222 at Jester Blvd down to one lane in each direction Friday morning.
"I was just sitting there waiting for the light to change and apparently he lost his brakes," Cookie Bandel said.
Bandel's dash camera captured the crash
She said she was paralyzed with fear as she watched the dump truck plow through the intersection hitting several cars.
"I think I was in shock," she said. "It chose to go in the right lane and if it [the driver] hadn't it [the truck] would have rear ended me."
After crashing into cars, the truck went off a cliff into a creek more than 15 feet below.
In the video you can see witnesses getting out of their cars rushing to the scene.
"Some citizens jumped down there and helped extricate him out of there before it caught on fire," Cpl. Chad Martinka, Austin Police Department, said.
Moments before the crash, Bandel's video shows the dump truck pass her car appearing to have mechanical problems.
"He [the truck driver] signaled for me to pass him and he waved and I went on," she said.
The self-employed truck driver says he's doing okay, but has a lot to do now. The man in the sedan that got rear-ended is also home recovering. His wife and a friend say it's a miracle he's alive. They add, he must have an amazing guardian angel watching over him.
As for the men in the red pickup who are nearly hit as well, they didn't drive away. They tell us, they only drove out of the intersection to pull over. The passenger in the pickup truck is a volunteer firefighter and trained EMT. He immediately sprang into action treating the victims until authorities got to the scene.
Police said 6 people were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
No word on what caused the crash.
