A woman in California was driving to work early in the morning when her car was struck by a small single-engine plane. Both the woman and the pilot escaped without serious injuries, and she was able to get out of the wrecked car on her own. She described the incident as a miracle and joked about trying her luck with the lottery.
According to reports from KCRA TV, the 41-year-old woman, Dee Arata, resides in Yuba City, California, and works as a nurse in an operating room. On the morning of June 25th around 6 a.m., she was on her way to work in Roseville. To avoid traffic, she chose to take a less traveled route.
Arata mentioned that she often takes rural roads to avoid traffic or the risk of being rear-ended by other vehicles. She had seen small planes spraying insecticides in nearby fields before but never imagined one would collide with her this time.
Describing the moment right before the impact, she said she caught a glimpse of a large white object with the corner of her eye and realized it was a plane, thinking to herself, “Oh my, I’m about to get hit.”
Fortunately, Arata managed to escape relatively unscathed, with only minor injuries, while the pilot of the plane did not suffer any injuries.
CBS TV reported that when the police arrived at the scene, Arata was able to walk. She was later taken to the hospital as a precaution.
Officer JD McIntosh from the California Highway Patrol mentioned that upon their arrival, they determined that the plane would not be able to take off properly.
In his over 20-year career, Officer McIntosh expressed astonishment at the rarity of a plane colliding with a car. Surprisingly, no severe injuries or fatalities were reported.
Arata told KCRA TV, “Honestly, the fact that I’m still here, it truly is a miracle.”
She mentioned that she might try buying a lottery ticket, although joking that her chances of winning might have been higher before the plane crash.
According to KCRA TV, the crashed small plane had recently been sold to a buyer in Louisiana, and the pilot was on his way to deliver it to the new owner that day.
Records from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) indicate that the registration of the plane has been cancelled.
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