A Dallas judge survived a fiery ordeal last Tuesday after she was the victim of a hit-and-run.
Lela Lawrence Mays, presiding judge of the 283rd Judicial District Court in Dallas County, shared her story of the car crash she survived last Tuesday.
Mays was driving to work during the early morning hours of July 11 on Interstate 20 when an 18-wheeler veered into her lane. Mays told Fox 4 KDFW she could not move into the next lane because another truck was blocking her path.
The driver did not respond to her car horn, so she stepped on the accelerator, attempting to get ahead of the 18-wheeler. The tractor-trailer rig then struck Mays’ vehicle, pushing it to the front of the truck.
“So he is pushing me on Interstate 20 at highway rates of speed, and I end up on his driver’s side. Dawns on me I’m on my accelerator, hit your brake. I hit my brake, spun out, and hit the guardrail,” said Mays, according to Fox 4.
She recalled seeing her life flash before her as the wreck unfolded around her.
The driver of the 18-wheeler sped away. Mays remained conscious but was unaware that her car had caught fire because her airbag and damaged hood were blocking her vision.
Another motorist pulled over to assist her, telling her the car was ablaze and advising her to escape via the backseat.
“I push my seat back; I am able to get out,” said Mays, according to Fox 4. “I have to crawl between the two seats to the back seat, and he helps me out, and that’s when the car really goes into flames.”
The judge survived the crash with no serious injuries. Mays said that her only injury was from the deployment of her vehicle’s airbag.
When she viewed the charred remains of her car the following day, the reality of her close brush with death hit her hard.
“When you see the remnants of your car in the way that I did, I said, whoa, hold on. God was protecting me that day,” said Mays, according to Fox 4.
The identity of the driver of the 18-wheeler is currently unknown. The Dallas Police Department is continuing an investigation into the hit-and-run incident.
