Driver Survives When 4-Foot Metal Pole Flies Through Windshield

A Phoenix woman is afraid to get back behind the wheel after she narrowly survived a freak accident in which a metal pole ended up pierced through her windshield.

Mandy Poff was headed towards an exit on the Arizona State Route 51 in Phoenix Thursday when a work truck in front of her hit a bump.

That bump caused a 4-foot metal pole to jump out of the back of the trailer behind the truck. It bounced on the ground once, and then pierced through Poff's car.

“Glass just showered down on me,” Poff told KPNX. “My whole body felt like pins and needles. It hasn’t all sunk in yet.”

The pole went straight through her windshield, missing her head by inches.

“It did feel very much like slow-mo. I can picture it coming by my face and that feeling and the sound of the glass. That’s hard to get out of your head. It just keeps replaying,” Poff said.

A kind driver behind her pulled over immediately, and called 911.

“I remember the paramedics telling me, ‘I can’t believe you’re alive. I can’t believe you made it through this. You’re so lucky,’” Poff said.

Poff said she called her husband immediately, who was freaked out by the accident.

“I wanted my whole life with this person, and even the idea of it being cut short is terrifying. It’s hard not to get angry. It’s hard not to be hurt,” he said.

Get our free mobile app

The couple is upset because the truck that caused the incident didn't stop or slow down.

“I’m terrified to get back in my car,” Poff said. “If he would have taken just a few minutes to secure his load, this wouldn’t have happened.”

She said she hasn't been back on the road since the incident, and can't get herself to look at the accident photos.

Read more at KPNX