On their way to a stay at the New Jersey shore, a family got caught in a dire situation that was best met by utilizing some skills more likely to be seen in a The Fast and The Furious film rather than on the home video of a family vacation.
After paying a toll to cross a bridge, the drawbridge suddenly started to lift as the family SUV was crossing. With the bridge in motion, the driver used some quick thinking and stepped on the gas to try and make the jump across the bridge as if he was driving a bus rigged with a bomb coming up at the end of a highway construction site. They had to jump.
“It’s scary what’s going through your mind,” said Terence Naphys, the driver of the Toyota RAV4-turned stunt vehicle on a whim. “We could have all landed in the water.”
The bridge operator was unable to get in contact with a fishing vessel heading toward the bridge due to a malfunctioning radio on the boat. The same bridge operator was unable to see the RAV4 crossing the bridge until it was too late due to a nasty glare form the sun. Fortunately, the SUV was able to make the leap of faith with no injuries to the family in the car, although the car suffered $10,000 in damages after landing on the other side of the bridge.
Considering the deadly alternative following a plunge 65 feet into the water, that is $10,000 well spent.
[NBC Philadelphia/photo CBS Philadelphia]
