Video captures Georgia car launching off tow truck ramp on highway
Bodycam footage from the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office shows a car flying through the air during May 24 crash. (Credit: Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office)
A video has emerged showing a car in Georgia flying through the air after launching off the ramp of a tow truck while traveling at a high rate of speed.
The incredible accident caught on bodycam footage happened May 24 while deputies from the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office were responding to the scene of a crash along Highway 84 in the southern part of the state.
The video begins with police standing on one side of highway's center median next to a vehicle that appeared to have flipped over.
As a deputy walks toward that wreck, a car could be seen speeding toward a tow truck parked on the other side of the highway.
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A car is seen flying through the air along Highway 84 in late May after launching off a tow truck ramp. (Lowndes County Sheriff’s OfficeLowndes County Sheriff’s Office)
That car then launches itself off the tow truck’s lowered ramp and sails through the air before coming to a stop in an upright position.
The deputy could be seen sprinting toward the vehicle and is heard requesting EMS assistance.
Debris also is seen scattered across the highway.
Georgia State Patrol told WSB-TV that the driver in that accident survived but was hospitalized with serious injuries.
A police incident report said the car "vaulted" around 120 feet over the tow truck after launching off its ramp, the station added.
While landing, the vehicle hit another car that was traveling along the highway at the same time, causing it to be thrown a further 23 feet after impact, according to WBS-TV, citing the Georgia State Patrol incident report.
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The car reportedly hit another vehicle that was traveling along Highway 84 at the same time. (Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office)
A Lowndes County Sheriff’s Deputy reportedly was taken to a local hospital after being hit by debris from the accident.
The cause of the initial accident that drew a police response to the area was not immediately clear.
It is also uncertain whether the driver of the second vehicle that crashed will face any charges.
Deputies told Fox5 Atlanta that the accident is a good example of why the public should abide by Georgia’s Move Over Law, which says "motorists traveling in the lane adjacent to the shoulder must move over one lane when emergency and utility vehicles are stopped on the side of the highway and operating in an official capacity."
"Vehicles included in the law include all first responders (law enforcement, fire, EMS), utility vehicles, DOT vehicles, HERO Units and wreckers tending to an accident. The law is meant to keep officers AND traffic violators safe from crashes with passing cars," says a description of the law on the website of the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.
Debris is seen scattered along the highway in this bodycam video taken by the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office. (Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office)
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"The Move Over Law was passed in the aftermath of growing numbers of police, emergency technicians and DOT workers being killed during routine traffic stops, crash responses and highway construction projects around the nation," the website added.
Those who violate the law can receive citations with fines up to $500, according to Fox5 Atlanta.
