Driver talked about surviving 70-foot plunge off overpass after hitting snowbank
Video of the terrifying fall was viewed millions of times and made national headlines. After recovering, the motorist who miraculously survived explained what happened.
By
Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist and content supervisor
Updated Mar 7, 2022 1:22 PM EST
Shocking footage captured along Interstate 94 in West Allis, Wisconsin, shows a truck falling 70 feet off a ramp after hitting a snowbank on Feb. 6.
What started off as a short drive to visit his mother near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, ended in disaster for Richard Lee Oliver. That seemingly mundane journey turned into a trip that ultimately sent him to the hospital with life-changing injuries.
It was a typical winter day in the Milwaukee area when Oliver hit the road on Feb. 6, 2021. Occasional snow flurries dotted the air and temperatures struggled to reach the teens. The sun was shining brightly after several batches of accumulating snow fell the week before the accident.
The roads appeared to be clear on traffic cameras from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, but snow from the recent storms had built up along the shoulder of Interstate 94, including on the Zoo Interchange ramp in West Allis, Wisconsin, just west of Milwaukee.
Oliver's truck can be seen flying off the overpass ramp, falling 70 feet onto another highway below.
As Oliver, 34 years old at the time, drove onto the overpass, his vehicle hit the snow on that shoulder, causing him to lose control of the truck and go careening off the elevated highway.
“There was just too much snow on the side of the road that once the tires got into like 2 foot of snow there’s no controlling a vehicle of any kind,” Oliver said during a later interview with ABC’s Good Morning America.
His truck plummeted 70 feet before landing on another highway below, miraculously missing other vehicles and leaving Oliver trapped and clinging to life.
The terrifying moment was captured on video by a traffic cam operated by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Footage of the heart-stopping plunge went viral on the internet and made national headlines.
Two people who witnessed the crash immediately rushed to the scene, including a man who helped Oliver with one of the most important phone calls of his life.
“He helped me in the bed of my truck and helped me call my mom just in case I wasn’t going to make it,” Oliver recalled from his hospital bed, fighting back tears.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Fortunately, Oliver was alone in his truck when the accident took place.
“I was thankful that he was alive,” Oliver’s fiancé Candice told Good Morning America while at Oliver’s side. “We have a 6-month-old baby at home, so just really happy that he made it through it and that nobody else was hurt.”
In the accident, Oliver suffered a broken back, among a slew of other injuries, The Associated Press reported. Shortly after the accident, his family set up a GoFundMe to help pay for medical bills.
“He has multiple injuries that do not allow him to have the ability to walk or care for himself. He will need a special wheelchair and a home that is accessible for wheelchairs,” the GoFundMe page read. “Please help our family recover and get Richard to a stable place.”
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
Report a Typo
News / Winter Weather
Driver talked about surviving 70-foot plunge off overpass after hitting snowbank
Video of the terrifying fall was viewed millions of times and made national headlines. After recovering, the motorist who miraculously survived explained what happened.
By Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist and content supervisor
Updated Mar 7, 2022 1:22 PM EST
Shocking footage captured along Interstate 94 in West Allis, Wisconsin, shows a truck falling 70 feet off a ramp after hitting a snowbank on Feb. 6.
What started off as a short drive to visit his mother near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, ended in disaster for Richard Lee Oliver. That seemingly mundane journey turned into a trip that ultimately sent him to the hospital with life-changing injuries.
It was a typical winter day in the Milwaukee area when Oliver hit the road on Feb. 6, 2021. Occasional snow flurries dotted the air and temperatures struggled to reach the teens. The sun was shining brightly after several batches of accumulating snow fell the week before the accident.
The roads appeared to be clear on traffic cameras from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, but snow from the recent storms had built up along the shoulder of Interstate 94, including on the Zoo Interchange ramp in West Allis, Wisconsin, just west of Milwaukee.
Oliver's truck can be seen flying off the overpass ramp, falling 70 feet onto another highway below.
As Oliver, 34 years old at the time, drove onto the overpass, his vehicle hit the snow on that shoulder, causing him to lose control of the truck and go careening off the elevated highway.
“There was just too much snow on the side of the road that once the tires got into like 2 foot of snow there’s no controlling a vehicle of any kind,” Oliver said during a later interview with ABC’s Good Morning America.
His truck plummeted 70 feet before landing on another highway below, miraculously missing other vehicles and leaving Oliver trapped and clinging to life.
The terrifying moment was captured on video by a traffic cam operated by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Footage of the heart-stopping plunge went viral on the internet and made national headlines.
Two people who witnessed the crash immediately rushed to the scene, including a man who helped Oliver with one of the most important phone calls of his life.
“He helped me in the bed of my truck and helped me call my mom just in case I wasn’t going to make it,” Oliver recalled from his hospital bed, fighting back tears.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Fortunately, Oliver was alone in his truck when the accident took place.
“I was thankful that he was alive,” Oliver’s fiancé Candice told Good Morning America while at Oliver’s side. “We have a 6-month-old baby at home, so just really happy that he made it through it and that nobody else was hurt.”
In the accident, Oliver suffered a broken back, among a slew of other injuries, The Associated Press reported. Shortly after the accident, his family set up a GoFundMe to help pay for medical bills.
“He has multiple injuries that do not allow him to have the ability to walk or care for himself. He will need a special wheelchair and a home that is accessible for wheelchairs,” the GoFundMe page read. “Please help our family recover and get Richard to a stable place.”
More to see:
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
Report a Typo