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Woman recalls falling from I-85 overpass
Leslie Reese fell just about 30 feet from Interstate 85 just north of the Brookwood Interchange back in October after a speeding car struck her broken-down car she was standing next to.
ATLANTA - Leslie Reese could have lost her life in October when a series of events caused her to be thrown off the I-85 overpass bridge.
She fell 30 feet and had serious injuries, but she survived.
WOMAN RECOVERING AFTER FALLING 30 FEET OFF AN INTERSTATE OVERPASS
Now, she's close to regaining full mobility.
"I remember blacking out, and coming to and then blacking and coming to and blacking out once I finally hit the ground," Reese said.
Back in October, Reese was standing on the I-85 overpass bridge, just south of Piedmont, because her car had broken down.
She was on the phone with her friend, who was coming to pick her up.
"As I'm standing there, there is a Camaro like flying like 90 plus miles an hour at me," Reese said. "I can't outrun a car. I saw it coming. It was a moment of…he hit my car, and it hit me and I flew up in the air."
This image taken by SKYFOX Drone shows the area where Leslie Reese was knocked off of I-85 onto the grass about 30-feet below. (FOX 5)
Reese fell 30 feet onto a lawn in front of the GDOT HERO Unit headquarters.
Reese said she's replayed those few seconds- in slow motion in her mind over and over again.
When we talked to her dad back in October, she had just undergone surgery. Her face was fractured, her pelvis, femur, lower leg were all broken. Her lip was split open, and she had lost several teeth.
Horace Maurice Dillard, Jr., (Fulton County Sheriff's Office)
MAN CHARGED AFTER WOMAN LAUNCHED 30-FEET OFF I-85 OVERPASS, GSP SAYS
More than two months after the crash, Reese has now gained her strength back.
Her injuries are healing, and she's now close to being able to walk.
Reese said she's ready to get back to the active and independent life she had before.
"It was just a shock to realize, 'OK, I'm literally going to have to sit down for long,'" she said. "No more active activities. No more doing things I love. I just want to get back to doing the things that I love."
Reese said it was difficult at first to understand why this happened.
Now, she said she's thankful to be here to share her story.
"I realized tomorrow is not promised. A second minute or hour isn't promised. You have to live your life while you can because it can be taken away from you," Reese said. "Yes, I went through something traumatic, but I woke up that day extremely blessed to be here."
Reese hopes her story is a reminder of what can happen if you make a rash decision behind the wheel.
"Whatever place, location you're trying to go to, it's always going to be there. It's not worth losing your life. It's not worth someone else losing their life. For the person who hit me, I hope he understands he changed my life, forever," she said.
Reese said she's received so much support, love, and prayers from those around her and even from complete strangers.
She said all of this has played a big part in her recovery.
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