Car sent flying over tow truck in Georgia, video shows

It looks like a scene from a Hollywood blockbuster. A sedan rockets into the air after driving up the ramp of a flatbed tow truck on a Georgia highway. And the whole crash is caught on video by an officer’s body camera.

Shocked motorists and law enforcement watched in horror as the Nissan Altima was launched 37 metres down the highway in Lowndes County, according to a police report on the May 24 crash.

The driver was a 21-year-old woman from Florida, the report says. She was taken to South Georgia Medical Center with serious injuries, Georgia State Patrol spokesperson Courtney Floyd said Wednesday.

After landing upside down, the Nissan struck another car and then tumbled end over end before coming to a rest a further 7 metres down the roadway, the report said. Even before the car stops, the officer whose body cam recorded the crash begins sprinting to render aid to the stricken motorists.

A Lowndes County sheriff’s deputy was hit by flying debris, but his injuries were not life-threatening.

The tow truck, described as a roll-back wrecker, was parked in the left lane with its emergency lights activated, the accident report said. Authorities had been on the scene responding to an earlier incident.

A vehicle goes airborne after driving up the ramp of a flatbed tow truck on a Georgia highway. Photo / AP

Georgia State Patrol Lt. Crystal Zion told WSB-TV that the crash underscores the importance of Georgia’s “Move Over” Law.

“When you see those lights to slow down, move over,” she said.