Photo: Military Family Support Group
A van for transporting veterans free of charge came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the highway in Sacramento, California, when a tripod thrown from an overpass smashed right through the windshield.
The only passenger inside was impaled through the lung, but is expected to make a full recovery. The driver was not hurt and was able to bring the vehicle to a stop without further incident.
Tim Page volunteers with El Dorado Veteran Resources, which is part of the nonprofit Military Family Support Group. On the day in question, he had picked up a veteran from the airport and was en route to pick up another one, before heading to Placerville, he tells KRCA-TV.
As he was driving down the highway, the van was hit by a tripod that had been thrown from an overpass.
“I saw a yellow something out of the corner of my eye,” Page says. “When it hit the windshield, then I ducked and kind of bent over, a little late of course. And when I straightened up and looked over, that's when I saw this through the windshield.”
“It was like a dream, for lack of a better description,” Page continues. “It was very scary. And of course, seeing it with no blood spurting out was great, but at the same time, injuries don't always have blood.”
Page says that the tripod went through the veteran’s lung and “popped out.” Because there was no blood, the man didn’t even want to call for an ambulance at first. It’s a good thing that they did, though: when medics arrived, they noticed that part of the shirt had gone in with the tripod.
The man suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung, but is expected to make a full recovery.
The California Highway Police caught a suspect about 3 hours after the incident. Matthew Adam Thompson, 32, was caught on surveillance cameras stealing the tripod from a crew working nearby. He then threw it from the overpass without as much as bothering about what that entailed.
Thompson was booked for resisting an officer and having an active warrant, but is yet to be charged in the latest incident. CHP is pursuing an attempted murder charge and, for that to happen, they must first establish beyond doubt that he was the one to throw the tripod.
Tim Page volunteers with El Dorado Veteran Resources, which is part of the nonprofit Military Family Support Group. On the day in question, he had picked up a veteran from the airport and was en route to pick up another one, before heading to Placerville, he tells KRCA-TV.
As he was driving down the highway, the van was hit by a tripod that had been thrown from an overpass.
“I saw a yellow something out of the corner of my eye,” Page says. “When it hit the windshield, then I ducked and kind of bent over, a little late of course. And when I straightened up and looked over, that's when I saw this through the windshield.”
“It was like a dream, for lack of a better description,” Page continues. “It was very scary. And of course, seeing it with no blood spurting out was great, but at the same time, injuries don't always have blood.”
Page says that the tripod went through the veteran’s lung and “popped out.” Because there was no blood, the man didn’t even want to call for an ambulance at first. It’s a good thing that they did, though: when medics arrived, they noticed that part of the shirt had gone in with the tripod.
The man suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung, but is expected to make a full recovery.
The California Highway Police caught a suspect about 3 hours after the incident. Matthew Adam Thompson, 32, was caught on surveillance cameras stealing the tripod from a crew working nearby. He then threw it from the overpass without as much as bothering about what that entailed.
Thompson was booked for resisting an officer and having an active warrant, but is yet to be charged in the latest incident. CHP is pursuing an attempted murder charge and, for that to happen, they must first establish beyond doubt that he was the one to throw the tripod.
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