'It's a miracle': San Mateo driver thankful to be alive after being hit by falling scaffolding
SAN MATEO, Calif. (KGO) -- Some scary moments for drivers on the Peninsula Monday, when scaffolding fell down into the street, hitting several cars. One of the drivers who narrowly missed being seriously hurt says he bought his car just days earlier.
It was blue skies and sunshine when the scaffolding fell outside the Union Bank building on El Camino Real in San Mateo around 10:45 a.m. Monday.
Herman Singh was one of three drivers on the road at the time.
"All of a sudden I felt a huge pressure. I thought someone rear-ended me but my car didn't move. I looked back and all my glass was gone. I didn't know what happened until I turned into the bank and I saw the whole mess over there," Singh said.
Aerial video shows the pile of debris covering the road, taking up several lanes. San Mateo Police say the other drivers only sustained minor injuries and it could have been a lot worse.
"Normally it's very busy in this area most times of day... we're just extremely lucky other three lanes were unoccupied. When it came down just hit a few cars in left turn lane going into 4th Avenue." Said Matthew Earnshaw, a police lieutenant with San Mateo police.
Singh calls it a miracle.
By 2 p.m. the majority of the debris was cleared by about a dozen workers.
City building inspectors are conducting an investigation into why the scaffolding fell but Singh has no doubt the weather, played a role.
"I don't know... it's one of those freaky things you don't think would happen in San Mateo but it's mother nature."
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