'It went right by my face': Woman escapes with her life after metal pole falls off truck and pierces her car 'like a missile'

  • Mandy Poff, of Mesa, Arizona, said she's been unable to sleep since the 'nightmare' incident  on Thursday on State Route 51
  • 'It was flying in the air like a missile,' said Poff of the split-second incident
  • Police have yet to locate the driver of the work truck that dropped the deadly metal object 

A driver has been left severely shaken after she narrowly avoided being impaled by a four foot metal pole that flew off the back of an pickup truck and crashed through her windscreen, on an Arizona freeway.  

Police are still hunting for the driver of the pickup after the incident on Thursday on State Route 51.

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Meanwhile nurse Mandy Poff, of Mesa, says she's been unable to sleep after the 'nightmare' near miss.

'It was flying in the air like a missile,' she told reporters with FOX 10 Phoenix.  'It bounced up on the road then flipped up and went straight through my windshield right by my face, then kind of went up and cut the top of my car and lodged itself in my backseat.'

A driver has been left severely shaken after she narrowly avoided being impaled by a four foot metal pole that flew off the back of an pickup truck and crashed through her windscreen, on an Arizona freeway
Police are still hunting for the driver of the pickup after the incident on Thursday on State Route 51
Meanwhile nurse Mandy Poff, of Mesa, says she's been unable to sleep after the 'nightmare' near miss

Poff said she was merging onto Interstate 10 from SR-51 near Thomas Road when a bump in the road dislodged the improperly secured metal pole from a white pickup truck, according to the Arizona Department for Public Safety

After pulling over and brushing broken glass from her lap, Poff realized that she was unscathed. 

A responding police officer, she said, told her that he 'couldn't believe she was alive.'

Despite the horrific accident, Poff said that she will continue to commute to work.

Poff said she was merging onto Interstate 10 from SR-51 near Thomas Road when a bump in the road dislodged the improperly secured metal pole from a white pickup truck
'It was flying in the air like a missile,' said Poff of the accident. 'It bounced up off the road then flipped up and went straight through my windshield

'I can't sleep [and I'm] terrified of being in a car,' said Poff. '[But] I do a lot of driving - I can’t avoid freeways and I’m not going to let this stop me. I love my job. It’s something I’m going to have to work through with therapy and time.'

With police unable to locate the driver responsible for the accident, Poff said that insurance has 'been a nightmare.'

The Arizona DPS urged drivers to secure and double-check their loads before driving in a Facebook post detailing the incident - 'no matter how short the drive or how heavy the items, please take the time to secure your load before every trip!'

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The agency also implored drivers to stop and retrieve any items that fell off their vehicles to prevent car accidents.       

Poff (pictured above with husband Justin Poff) said that the incident has been a 'nightmare' that will necessitate 'therapy and time' to get over
The Arizona DPS urged drivers to secure their loads and retrieve any items dropped from their vehicles from the roadway

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