DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – Imagine you are driving and suddenly there’s an explosion of glass in your face.
That’s what happened to Eduardo Rivera on Tuesday and he believe’s it’s a miracle he’s alive.
Rivera said he was driving home from work on Interstate 95 in Delray Beach when a flatbed tow truck pulled in front of him.
His wife, Norma Rodriguez, said her husband told her that’s when he heard what sounded like an explosion. “It fell right onto his windshield; it broke the glass,” she said.
Stunned and still unsure of what had happened, Rivera pulled over. When he was able to get his composure, he found out what had caused the loud crash that could have killed him.
A heavy piece of metal had fallen from the truck, bounced off the roadway, and smashed through the windshield of his Ford F-150, stopping just inches from his face. It was halted only by his steering wheel.
He said it was only about 8 or 10 inches from his face.
Rivera told his wife that he could barely see to drive to safety. “He had to look out of the sides to be able to drive, to get out of the road. It was good that it happened to his vehicle and not a small vehicle. If it would have been a small vehicle, that person would have not been able to tell their story,” she said.
Looking at the damage, it’s unbelievable that Rivera had only minor cuts from the glass on his face.
They both said they believe a higher power was with him that day.
“He has a little angel in his vehicle that fell . . . right on top of him and not one single piece of glass fell in his eyes. He had glass everywhere but none cut him. He walked out in one whole person thanks to God,” Rodriguez said.
Lt. Yanko Reyes of the Florida Highway Patrol said that when the metal came off of the truck, it was traveling probably around “20 to 30 mph. It was about 2½ to 3-feet long. So at that speed it is pretty much a spear.”
The driver of the tow truck did not stop and Florida Highway Patrol said they are still looking for the person.
FHP said the incident is a good reminder to make sure drivers secure any load they are carrying, because it is their responsibility if anything falls into the roadway.