Close Call: California Man Saved From Rock Crushing His Car By Answering His Phone

A California A close call was made by a man when he used his phone to save himself from a falling boulder which had crushed his car.

Mauricio Hénao was driving to Malibu’s Pacific Coast Highway on Tuesday, when he got out of his car and made a call to his girlfriend. He returned inside to pick up the phone, and when he came back to the car, a huge boulder had broken the roof.

“I was in the driver’s seat, walked out, got a call, ran back inside, came out and the car was just totaled,” Henao told KTLA 5.

“My girlfriend called me and said ‘Hey, can you get my bag that I left there’ so I went back inside and I heard rumbling outside,” He added to KABC.

A massive rockslide fell across four lanes, causing Henao to hear a loud rumbling sound. It happened on Tuesday morning. One of the largest boulders, more than four feet across, tumbled down directly onto Henao’s car, where it smashed the windshield and crushed the roof. “I just heard loud crashes,” Henao shared his thoughts with KTLA 5. “And I ran out and saw my car just crushed.”

Driver remains shaken after narrowly avoiding a massive boulder that had fallen in Malibu and completely crushing his car.https://t.co/EQpEzYdv6D”>https://t.co/EQpEzYdv6D

— KTLA (@KTLA) January 11, 2023

“The rock is the size of the whole hood,”’ he added. “The windshields are all broken and the frame of the car is just all twisted.”

Fortunately, nobody was injured by the rockslide. KTLA 5 reported that another car was struck by rocks nearby and suffered a cracked windshield.

It didn’t seem that the incident was related. severe weather California has been ravaged by the storm, but rain and saturated soils have caused numerous rockslides and trees to fall that blocked roads throughout the state. The Weather Channel shared footage from PG&E showing a large tree falling onto the road after it fell down a hill.

The Fresno area office of the California Highway Patrol shared a dramatic video Monday afternoon of a rockslide that closed state route 168 on Monday. After dirt and rocks tumbled down a hillside followed by a large boulder that rolled down and landed in middle of the road. Rainwater ran down the hillside and onto the soil, where more soil and a small tree followed behind the huge rock.

AVOID ALL OTHERS
STATE ROUTE168 CLOSED at the top and bottom of 4-lane.

Watch the dramatic video at a href=”https://twitter.com/ChpFresno?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@ChpFresno Officer.

If you can, avoid Shaver lake and all places above it!⚠️ @ABC30 @KSEE24 @KMPHFOX26 @CBS47 @FresnoBee @FresnoSheriff @CaltransDist6 @Cal_OES pic.twitter.com/0B2Qqgm85z

— CHP Fresno (@ChpFresno) January 9, 2023

According to Malibu’s tweet, another rock slide had blocked Malibu Canyon Road in Southern California. The city shared photos showing another large boulder perched on the small pile of debris at the roadway’s center.

Big rock! Malibu Canyon Road is closed from Civic Center towards Piuma Way because of a boulder north of the tunnel. For #LARain Closures, updates and the most recent status on all #LACounty roads, go here a href=”https://t.co/teCIofYWd5″>https://t.co/teCIofYWd5. Be safe and aware of dangers. @CERTMalibu @MalibuVOP pic.twitter.com/1wwhFGrJnV

— City of Malibu (@CityMalibu) January 10, 2023

KTLA 5 reported that there were several nearby Topanga Canyon Boulevard Due to rockslides, the facility was also closed.

“I feel like it’s almost a ‘Final Destination’ movie, but in real life,” Henao spoke of his near-death experience. This was a reference to horror movies in which the protagonists narrowly avoid dying. “I’m pretty shook up,” He concluded. “Honestly, I don’t think I’ll park here again after this. I’m a little traumatized by this whole ordeal.”

However, he was happy and joked about his good fortune. “I feel like I should play the Lotto.”

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