Man lucky to be alive after driving car off 6-story parking garage

ByJON HAWORTH ABCNews logo
Monday, February 24, 2020

A man is lucky to be alive after somehow surviving driving his car off the top of a six-story parking garage.

The Santa Monica Police Department first responded to reports of a vehicle that had gone over the side of a parking structure in Santa Monica, California, at approximately 12:10 a.m. early on Sunday morning.

The man inside the vehicle was a 20-year-old male from Twentynine Palms, California, and, while injured, was actually speaking with the responding officers but the circumstances around how he managed to drive his car off of a building remained unclear.

"Due to the fact the driver was transported to the hospital and receiving medical treatment, they were unable to determine if alcohol or drugs played a factor in the incident," said the Santa Monica Police Department in a statement on social media.

Police have also obtained a warrant for the driver's blood to determine if alcohol or drugs were a factor in the cause of the incident.

In spite of the man initially communicating with officers, he allegedly suffered critical non-visible injuries in the estimated 60 foot fall.

"As a part this ongoing investigation, the Santa Monica Police Department learned that the driver experienced non-visible health issues while under the care of the Santa Monica Fire Department," police said. "The SMFD transported the driver to the UCLA Westwood hospital in critical condition. The driver is recovering in stable condition at the hospital."

A preliminary investigation showed that the driver was with two people prior to the accident but they do not seem to be involved in the incident.

The Santa Monica Police Department is still investigating the crash.

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