The Brief

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - A Downey woman says she's lucky to be alive after a freak accident left her impaled by a metal rod while driving on the 57 Freeway in Brea. Jessica Preciado was on her way to go hiking Tuesday morning after dropping off her son when the unexpected happened.

"I thought I got shot, I thought a car hit me, I felt a big impact," Preciado recalled.

Moments earlier, she had heard a loud pop followed by sudden, sharp pain. Preciado didn't realize at first what had happened. A metal rod had pierced the bottom of her Ford Fusion, shot through her driver's seat, and went straight into her left buttock.

"I felt really weak, my blood pressure dropped. I started sweating profusely. I felt cold," she said. "I was so confused as to where this injury was coming

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