A Del Mar woman describes the moments after a hit-and-run crash on Interstate 15 that injured a U.S. Marine riding a motorcycle.
U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. John Mihelich was driving home from his work at Marine Air Station Miramar Feb. 7 during rush hour.
He was about 2 miles from his exit on Winchester Road in Temecula when, suddenly, a dark green truck swerved back and forth into his lane.
Del Mar resident Ryka Milo saw it happen. She immediately pulled her car up next to Mihleich to protect him from traffic.
"My first thought was "Oh no, he's going down," Milo recalled. "I paralleled my car to prevent anyone from hitting the motorcyclist."
The Marine quickly walked over to the shoulder and Milo called 911. Milo then tried to follow the truck but lost it at the point where I-15 splits with Interstate 215.
Mihelich -- who returned from a tour in Afghanistan a year ago -- said it all happened so fast, he doesn’t remember all of the details and at first, he didn’t even realize he’d been hit.
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He was thrown into another vehicle going 40 mph before he hit the pavement, but was not seriously hurt. He credits to his motorcycle body protection.
"As far as this guy knows, I could be laying on the freeway still," Mihelich said.
Anyone with information about the crash is urged to call the California Highway Patrol in Temecula.
