Man Arrested in 50-Ft. Freeway Fall Crash

Officers made an arrest Tuesday in the crash that caused a yellow truck to fly off the freeway, fall 50 feet and crumple in a Mission Valley parking lot, nearly killing the driver.

The incident started Sunday afternoon as Navy mechanic Kenneth Freudenvoll drove his Ford truck onto the westbound Interstate 8 off-ramp to northbound Interstate 805.

The California Highway Patrol has arrested Jose Uribe, 20, for felony hit and run in connection to an accident that sent a truck falling 50 feet off the freeway. NBC 7’s Candice Nguyen has the latest.

The CHP says San Diego resident Jose Uribe, 20, drove up alongside him in a brown 2000 Ford Excursion, and the two vehicles collided.

The crash forced Freudenvoll to spin off the transition ramp. His truck broke through the guardrail, struck the Dave and Busters building below and crashed to the ground.

The Excursion driver took off, while Freudenvoll was rushed to Sharp Memorial Hospital, where he is still in serious condition after getting back surgery Sunday night.

At about 5:15 p.m. Monday, CHP officers tracked Uribe to his San Diego home. He was arrested on suspicion of felony hit-and-run, a probation violation, false imprisonment with violence and destroying or concealing evidence.

The suspect is scheduled to be arraigned on those charges Thursday. Uribe's vehicle was seized by the CHP.

Freudenvoll had no fault in the accident, according to the CHP.

Eye witness Rick Dempsey said he and his wife were the only people to pull over after seeing the collision.

He recalled seeing the suspect's Excursion weaving over the ramp's center line a number of times. But apparently Freudenvoll had not noticed the erratic driving before the SUV clipped his Ford F-250, sending it over the guardrail.

Dempsey ran out of his car to look down at the wreckage.

"I kept yelling down, 'Are you OK? Can you hear me? Can you hear me? Finally, he took his arm and stuck it out of the window, which was a big surprise," said Dempsey.

He told NBC 7 he hopes the his fellow Navy officer gets well soon because it was the "most horrific event" he had seen in his life.

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