Jessie Gurley was on her way to work Saturday morning when she saw a small plane flying toward her over Interstate 15.
“I’m driving like this and then the plane like that just barely grazed me,” Gurley told NBC 7. “I punched the gas so I can go underneath it because I thought it was just going to him me.”
That quick step on the gas pedal is what Gurley credits for saving her life. Inside her car was her baby daughter.
“We were very, very, lucky. Very lucky,” she added.
One person was killed and five people were injured when the single-engine, two-seat Lancair IV crashed into a car on the 15 near SR-76 at approximately 9:15 a.m. about 50 miles north of San Diego.
Gurley, along with other witnesses, said they did not hear the plane's engine as it went down and didn't see its landing gear.
“I had my window down and it was literally coasting in the air. It dropped quick,” she explained.
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She immediately pulled over on the shoulder and called 911.
“The operator was like ‘what are you reporting today?’ and all I could say was freeway airplane crash. I couldn't get it out, “she said.
Gurley told NBC 7 the plane skidded across the freeway before it crashed into a Nissan Sentra pulled over on the side of I-15.
When firefighters arrived they found 38-year-old Toni Isbelle crushed to death.
“It's just crazy,” Gurley said. “I feel for her. I feel for her whole family…It’s just heartbreaking.”
Firefighters rushed five others to the hospital. Gurley said she’s grateful she and her daughter escaped with their lives.
Investigators shipped the plane to a facility in Arizona where they will conduct a more thorough inspection. They plan to have a preliminary report complete by next week.
