PITTSBURGH — Nick Hunter was a passenger in the car behind a black SUV that crashed over a barrier on the ramp from Route 65 to the Fort Duquesne Bridge.
“It was horrific,” Hunter said.
PHOTOS: Vehicle goes over deck near Fort Duquesne Bridge after 5-vehicle crash
He told Channel 11 the car had been moving erratically, so he started filming.
“That person was driving 100+ m.p.h. a good four or five miles while I was behind him [...] Looked like they may have been dancing to music,” Hunter said.
In the video, you can see the SUV approaching the bridge. The video does not show the car going over the barrier, but it does show the aftermath. Four other cars were significantly damaged.
In one, a woman had to be cut out. She was taken to the hospital in cardiac arrest, where she died.
“The other person who died could have been any of us,” Hunter said.
He told Channel 11 he knows CPR and tried to help, but he and other witnesses couldn’t get the driver out.
“The driver’s side door was crushed. There was no way.”
On Reedsdale Street, a trail of debris led to the place where the black SUV came to rest.
The driver was thrown from the vehicle and was pronounced dead on scene. He was later identified as Michael Smith, 52, of Sheraden.
More than three hours after the crash, the cars were towed away.
No cause of the crash has been officially given. Pittsburgh police are leading the investigation.
“We all know it takes a pretty significant amount of speed and force to flip over a bridge deck,” Police Chief Jason Lando said.
Meantime, Hunter tells Channel 11 the ordeal was traumatic for everyone.
“This made me realize one thing: life is precious,” Hunter said.
Officials say about a dozen people were involved. No one else was injured.
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