'I thought I was going to die': Woman, 21, severely injured in 'Dukes of Hazzard-style' crash where she flew 120ft through the air slams tow truck driver for parking in the middle of the road - and says she still has nightmares about the incident

Daily Mail UK ^ | June 14, 2023 | Aneeta Bhole

[Morgana]

A woman, 21, who survived a 'Dukes of Hazard-style' horror crash in a now-viral video said she was left severely injured and makes it difficult to sleep.

Tanaijsha Bruton soared 120 feet in the air - struck another vehicle and tumbled end over end before coming to rest upside down during the May 24 Georgia highway wreck.

Video from the incident quickly went viral and drew comparisons to various TV and movie car chase scenes.

Bruton told WALB-TV she couldn't remember everything from the incident, but was shown the ordeal on social media. She said she remembered the pain she felt afterward.

'It hurts really, really bad. I felt everything,' she said.

A Lowndes County sheriff's deputy was responding to an earlier wreck on the day when his body camera recorded Bruton's sedan flying into the air after driving up the ramp of a tow truck.

The astonishing footage showed the moment Bruton's car flipped after hitting the ramp of the tow truck at full speed.

At the time, a Georgia State Patrol confirmed that a 21-year-old Tallahassee woman was severely injured in the airborne crash on Highway 84, but miraculously managed to survive. Bruton was , who was transported to the South Georgia Medical Center after the crash near Valdosta, Georgia.

The deputy rushed to help Bruton who was transported to South Georgia Medical Center after the crash near Valdosta, Georgia.

In the video, the deputy was seen walking along the stopped highway on the other side while attending to a separate crash.

The camera turned as he faced the other side of the road with the red tow truck in view.

[Yardstick]

Well, that settles that point. The tow truck was definitely parked in the left lane.

It would be interesting to know if it had the old style light bar or the newer directional type. If it’s the directional type then we can reasonably assume it was turned on (but not visible in the video), in which case the fault would seem to shift back to the driver of the car to some degree.

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

Well, that settles that point. The tow truck was definitely parked in the left lane.

As you wrote, and I believe, it was a perfect storm of circumstances that led to this.

Change any one of those and the outcome would likely have been different.

[meyer]

I’ll say this - her car and air bags definitely did their job to save her life.

[dragnet2]

If you come upon a vehicle or vehicles stopped in lanes, for whatever reasons, a collision, a breakdown etc, it does not give you the right to run into them. The launch vehicle did not appear to brake prior to impact. I’d bet a cup of coffee as she approached she was watching all the flashing lights in the center medium area, trying to see what all the hub-bub was about. Rubbernecking. Very common.

Remember this was broad daylight with multiple emergency vehicles with lights on parked in the center medium area. I estimate 7+ vehicles stopped with lights on. And they were in clear view of the distracted driver. And in clear view of those working the collision scene who witnessed and videoed the collision.

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

If you come upon a vehicle or vehicles stopped in lanes, for whatever reasons, a collision, a breakdown etc, it does not give you the right to run into them.

Show me where I wrote that.

Remember this was broad daylight with multiple emergency vehicles with lights on parked in the center medium area. I estimate 7+ vehicles stopped with lights on. And they were in clear view of the distracted driver. And in clear view of those working the collision scene who witnessed and videoed the collision.

Picture this.

There's an collision on the other side of the highway. Emergency vehicles are there with emergency lights flashing. Naturally, as you come upon the scene, you look over there to see what's going on, because, well, that's what emergency lights are for -- to make see and avoid.

Meanwhile, there's a tow truck parked in the left lane on your side of the highway with no emergency lights on the bed's light bar illuminated.

The bed is up and is approximately the same color as the highway ahead. Since the bed is up, it's obscuring your view of the truck's cab. For all intents and purposes, the tow truck is camouflaged.

Tell me this. What is the purpose of those amber light bars on a tow truck?

When you watched the video, did you see them illuminated? I sure didn't.

@meyer and I both believe this was a perfect storm of circumstances that caused her to collide with the tow truck.

Was she negligent? I don't believe so.

Was the tow truck driver negligent in parking in a traffic lane with no emergency lights illuminated and the bed up? I believe he was.

[dragnet2]

You just admitted the driver was not paying attention to where she was driving and was completely distracted.

[dragnet2]

Was the tow truck driver negligent in parking in a traffic lane with no emergency lights illuminated and the bed up? I believe he was.

Btw, I don't know the tow vehicle was in a traffic lane as it's too hard to determine that from the video. It actually appears the tow vehicle was partially on the grass medium. Then again, stopped traffic in front of you does not give one the right to run into them.

Traffic can come to an abrupt stop anywhere and it happens all the time. Cars break down in traffic lanes all the time etc. And if you come along and rear-end a slowing or stopped vehicle, you're at fault.

[dragnet2]

Bottom line, it is inordinately clear the driver was completely distracted by the previous collision scene and was not paying attention to where she was driving her vehicle. That tow vehicle could have been any type of stopped vehicle, which that driver should have seen and avoided.

[dragnet2]

“”The tow truck, described as a roll-back wrecker, was parked in the left lane with its emergency lights activated, the accident report said. Authorities had been on the scene responding to an earlier incident.””

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/real-life-fast-furious-car-flying-tow-truck-99734667

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

Btw, I don't know the tow vehicle was in a traffic lane as it's too hard to determine that from the video. It actually appears the tow vehicle was partially on the grass medium. Then again, stopped traffic in front of you does not give one the right to run into them.

From your linked article:

The tow truck, described as a roll-back wrecker, was parked in the left lane with its emergency lights activated, the accident report said. Authorities had been on the scene responding to an earlier incident.

While the police report says the wrecker had its emergency lights illuminated, the body cam video reveals it did not.

[dragnet2]

“”The tow truck, described as a roll-back wrecker, was parked in the left lane with its emergency lights activated, the accident report said. Authorities had been on the scene responding to an earlier incident.””

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/real-life-fast-furious-car-flying-tow-truck-99734667

You’re suggesting after the collision, the tow driver in front of a dozen cops ran over and turned his lights on?

C’mon.

[dragnet2]

Again, all kinds of vehicle are found stopped, slowed and or disabled on highways and roads. That does not mean you have a right run into them. The driver is responsible for controlling their vehicle. This driver was negligent, rubber necking and not paying attention to where she was driving.

And several reports now clearly state the tow vehicle had it’s lights on. The stupid dangerous driver in the passenger vehicle was clearly not paying attention and was the cause this collision.

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

You’re suggesting after the collision, the tow driver in front of a dozen cops ran over and turned his lights on?

First, what I wrote is that the body cam video reveals that his emergency lights were not on. He would not have to run back over to the truck because he was already walking around the front of it when the collision occurred.

Second, the driver would not be able to turn his lights on after the collision because they're on a light bar at the front of the bed and would have been destroyed when the car collided with them.

Look at the photo below and note where the emergency lights are located. They are mounted to a light bar at the front of the bed. When the bed is raised and they were illuminated, they would be visible on the body cam video.

When you watched the video, did you see any flashing lights on the wrecker? I sure didn't.

And, before you come back and say you were referring to his tail light flashers, these are mounted to the chassis below the bed and would have been obscured from view by the raised bed. Even if he had the tail light flashers on, we would have seen the front parking lights flashing, too. We don't see any flashing lights on the wrecker.

It is possible that that particular tow truck didn't have a light bar installed, such as the one below. If he had his chassis-mounted lights flashing, these would have been obscured from behind by the raised bed and not visible to on-coming traffic.

Personally, I don't believe he had the chassis lights flashing because there are no flashing lights on the front of the truck that are visible on the video.

[dragnet2]

And from another source

“””The tow truck had its emergency lights on as it sat in the left lane, according to the incident report. That detail is not obvious from the video, as the vehicle doesn’t have warning lights on its roof.”””

https://www.npr.org/2023/06/02/1179641791/tow-truck-car-soars-georgia-driver-video

Some flatbed tow vehicle have their lights behind the cab as well as recessed lights built into the rear of the bed area. All the cops on scene would have known immediately if the tow vehicle had it’s lights activated. And I am confident there is no conspiracy to protect the tow driver.

[dragnet2]

Are you now suggesting there is a conspiracy between all those cops at the scene to protect the tow driver and lie to defend him?

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

That does not mean you have a right run into them.

You keep applying to me words that I did not write. This shows your intellectual dishonesty.

This driver was negligent, rubber necking and not paying attention to where she was driving.

She wasn't charged with negligent operation of her vehicle, so there's that.

You're welcome to your opinion about whether she was negligent, but apparently the police, who were there, disagree.

[dragnet2]

Are you now suggesting there is a conspiracy between all those cops at the scene to protect the tow driver and lie to defend him?

[dragnet2]

My opinion is strictly based on many years of experience. Not simply a personal opinion.

Again, are you suggesting the cops conspired with the tow driver to lie and report that the tow vehicle’s lights were activated?

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

The tow truck had its emergency lights on as it sat in the left lane, according to the incident report. That detail is not obvious from the video, as the vehicle doesn’t have warning lights on its roof.

Some flatbed tow vehicle have their lights behind the cab as well as recessed lights built into the rear of the bed area.

If the truck had lights mounted behind the cab and were flashing, we'd see them illuminating the underside of the raised bed.

Post a photo that shows recessed bed lights on a roll back wrecker.

If you're referring to the chassis-mounted tail lights, these would have been obscured from behind by the raised bed.

[dragnet2]

3rd time I’ve asked you this.

Are you suggesting the cops conspired with the tow driver to lie and report that the tow vehicle’s lights were activated?