San Diego

Victim of Similar Parking Garage Accident Says Structure Should Be Reinforced

Two women were taken to the hospital after their car fell from the third floor of a parking structure at Fashion Valley Mall Sunday

The victim of a parking garage accident in 2012 similar to Sunday's crash said the Fashion Valley lot should be reinforced so something like this can't happen again. 

"That they tear it down and start all over again -- reinforce it and that something will prevent people from going through it again," said Colleen Lykins, 73.

In 2012, Colleen was a passenger in a car when the driver accidentally hit the gas and went over the side of a Fashion Valley parking garage. 

When the car went flying over the edge, she said she thought for sure she would be dead within seconds. 

"I went, 'here we go,' you know, if leading thought, the next thing I knew, there was glass and everything, junk from the car was coming up at me and that's when I lost consciousness again," she said.

Two illegally parked cars three stories down may have saved her life, she said. 

"If it hadn't been for those two cars, I would be dead," Lykins said. "We hit straight down; we went through the wall and down and we hit the front end of the one in the back and the other in the car bounced on it's front one over on its back."

As a result of the crash, Lykins said, she can no longer drive and suffered a traumatic brain injury and is disabled. 

Sunday, two women were taken to the hospital after their car fell from the third floor of a parking structure at Fashion Valley Mall. The two women inside of the car were conscious and breathing after the accident according to officials. It's unclear what injuries they suffered. 

The brothers of one of the women told NBC7 she was shaken, but relieved she survived. She is at home and resting. 

Following the 2012 crash, Lykins' attorney settled a case on her behalf. Still, Lykins hopes this time, officials will fix the wall for good. 

"It's time they fix the wall," she said. "I don't know, I don't know how they got away with it, especially when its being built."

San Diego Police are putting the pieces together as they investigate; there is no word yet on what caused the Sunday's crash. 

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