Woman recounts 'terrifying' moments hijacked Gwinnett transit bus hit her head-on
ATLANTA - A metro Atlanta woman says she saw her life flash before her eyes as the driver of a hijacked Gwinnett County transit bus plowed into her SUV during rush hour traffic on Tuesday.
Stone Mountain resident Gloria White says she is still replaying the moments her day off Tuesday running errands turned into a scene straight out of a movie as she watched that Gwinnett County transit bus coming her way at full speed.
"It was so scary…I still can’t believe it."
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She says she is lucky to be alive after the wild encounter but the Nissan Rogue she bought just three months ago was totaled in a matter of seconds.
"There was just nothing I could do…I was trapped between cars and, in that instance, I’m thinking this bus is not going to stop…it is coming toward me. I’m gonna die," she recalled.
Police say holding the bus driver at gunpoint, the suspect investigators identified as 39-year-old Joseph Grier, forced that driver to veer into oncoming traffic after a 20-mile chase from downtown Atlanta to Hugh Howell Road in Stone Mountain.
"It’s so unbelievable, even telling the insurance company what happened, they didn’t believe me at first," White said.
SEE ALSO: Gwinnett County Transit Bus hijacking: Victim killed on bus identified
FOX 5 captured video of that collision. White’s SUV was one of several vehicles the bus hit along that wild ride.
Personal injury attorney Darren Tobin tells FOX 5 that even though a county bus was responsible for the damage, the nature of the crash makes liability a little more complicated.
"In a situation like this, it’s actually pretty difficult for this particular woman or any of the vehicles that were struck for them to pursue the bus driver, the county, the police," he explained.
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He says it will likely fall back on each driver's own insurance to cover the damages.
"The way this will play out is the insurance for each vehicle that was struck…those are the companies that are going to end up paying out claims," Tobin stated.
He says drivers do have an option to pursue damages from the county, but it would require further legal action starting with an ante litem notice.
White says despite her car being totaled, she was grateful she only walked away with a broken wrist. As a part-time comedian, she says she plans to use this situation as material in the future.