JACKSONVILLE, Fla – A 20-year-old woman survived a scary crash off the Buckman Bridge early Tuesday morning with only minor injuries, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The FHP report said the woman, from St. Augustine, was headed the wrong way about 1 a.m. on I-295 on the southbound (Mandarin) side of the bridge when she drove into the guardrail that divides the north and southbound sides of the bridge.
Troopers said it appears the woman crossed over from the northbound lanes through a gap in the median used by emergency vehicles, and then into the southbound lanes.
When her car crashed through the guardrail, it wound up in the St. Johns River, troopers said.
The woman was wearing a seat belt in the crash, according to the report.
The car did not completely sink, and the woman was helped to shore by a good Samaritan, troopers said.
FHP Master Sgt. Dylan Bryan said thankfully the water where the car ended up was only waist deep for the good Samaritan who saw the woman’s car go into the river.
“He exited his vehicle and waded out into the water in a shallow area of water, waded out and assisted her from her vehicle and brought her back to land,” Bryan explained.
At this point, no charges have been filed and no one’s been ticketed as the Florida Highway Patrol investigates.