Washington woman nearly pierced by long piece of metal while driving

A Washington woman is reminding drivers to secure anything they haul after a long piece of metal pierced her windshield.

It happened while she was going about 50 mph on a busy Tacoma Highway Tuesday morning.

The woman said the debris came off the car in front of her and before she knew it, the 5-foot pipe was right next to her.

The wife and mother of two only suffered minor injuries but knows that it could have been much worse.

"I didn't want to die, I didn't want to die. I have my kids and my family and my friends," she said. "Life is precious, you hear it every day and you know it. I'm just thankful for everything."

Washington State Patrol said highway debris is a major problem. Troopers responded to over 2,000 incidents of debris on the road since January.