Watch CBS News

Mother Survives Fatal Crash After Calling Cousin While Trapped In Car

MORENO VALLEY (CBSLA.com) — A man who received a call from his cousin during a deadly car crash Wednesday night is recalling only to KCAL9 the conversation that may have saved the driver's life.

Adrian Ayala spent nearly 40 minutes on the phone listening to his cousin, Tiffany, as she was trapped in her car after a crash on the 60 Freeway in Beaumont Wednesday evening.

Tiffany somehow got her phone and called her relative screaming for help.

"She was screaming and yelling, 'My leg! My legs!'" Adrian remembered.

"It was like a horror movie listening to the agony that she was going through."

While Adrian was unable to help over the phone, he managed to call 911 and get first responders to the scene.

Firefighters cut off the car's door and roof to get the 34-year-old mother out of the driver's seat and rushed her to a hospital in Riverside.

The woman's two friends, aged 19 and 36, were killed instantly when the car slammed into a tree.

Adrian is stunned his cousin managed to survive.

"Looking at the car I couldn't see how anyone would live through that," he said.

Witnesses told the CHP another driver made an unsafe lane change in front of Tiffany, who then swerved to avoid the car, drove up an embankment and hit a huge oak tree.

The CHP is looking for more witnesses.

"She remembers nothing about the accident," Adrian said.

According to family, Tiffany has a broken femur, a broken hand and internal bleeding. She is expected to recover and had surgery Thursday.

The coroner has not yet released the names of the other two victims.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.