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Family of 3 shares scary story after street racers cause crash that sent them flying off I-45 overpass

Hedley Rivera, his wife and 1-year-old son survived a 15-foot drop when their truck went flying off I-45.

HOUSTON — The survivors of a fiery crash off I-45 last week said it's a miracle they made it out alive.

Hedley Rivera, his wife Jessica and 1-year-old son Darwin are all recovering from their injuries after Houston police said street racers caused a crash that sent Rivera's truck flying off an overpass.

"Every night that I go to sleep, I still have that accident in my head," Hedley Rivera said. "I just heard my wife scream and when I got up I heard the tires squealing. Then I just felt the truck go up. We spun and flipped twice, and we fell over the barrier and to the ground."

It was a 15-foot drop.

"I was trying to get my son," Hedley Rivera said. "When we collapsed at the bottom, he was on top of me. I could see him. He was smiling and laughing, so I took off the strap, his seat belt, and he fell on top of me. I grabbed him with one hand and dragged myself out."

The next thing he remembers, he and his family were at Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Texas Medical Center.

"We're a miracle family, I can say that," Hedley Rivera said.

Rivera broke his ribs and is dealing with chest pain. Somehow, his son only suffered some minor scratches and has already been released from the hospital. His wife has a longer road ahead. She's already undergone two surgeries and suffered a broken spine, neck and arm.

"She also has a big gash all the way to her neck," Hedley Rivera said. "A six-centimeter gash. But thank God we're still alive."

Rivera wants the street racers behind his accident to know how close they came to destroying an innocent family.

Credit: KHOU

"They're putting people's lives in danger," Hedley Rivera said. "I had my son and my wife. I don't know what they're thinking. That's dangerous."

HPD told KHOU 11 News street racing is becoming a bigger problem in Houston especially now during the pandemic. Hedley Rivera said Houston's freeways are no place for this dangerous and potentially deadly behavior.

"There's no point to race," Hedley Rivera said. "You might lose your own life or might kill someone else. There's no point to prove you bought a fast car. You know it's a fast car. There's no point in racing anybody. If you want to race there are tracks for that."

Houston police are still looking for the drivers responsible for causing the crash. They could face up to 20 years in prison. If you have any information that can assist in the investigation, call Houston police.

RELATED: 'Turn yourself in. Show remorse' | Prosecutors hope to put the brakes on street racing after fiery crash

RELATED: Good Samaritans rescue couple, baby after truck flies off I-45 overpass trying to avoid street racers

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