Tow driver speaks after surviving deadly Brevard County crash

For the first time, we’re hearing from a survivor of a deadly Brevard County crash that killed three people. Two men and a woman died after a speeding Mercedes crashed into tow trucks on I-95. One of those tow drivers is John Youmara. He’s still bandaged up and says he’ll never forget the moment he nearly lost his life that day. “ Just trying to go to sleep. The sound. That’s the scary part,” Youmara said. He said he was preparing to haul a truck when he heard that sound and what came after.“As I’m doing that, that’s when I heard a long screech of tires. I didn’t think anything was coming my way. I just heard a noise. Next thing you know, it was just a loud explosion,” he recalled.Florida Highway Patrol said this was a part of a crash on I-95 near Cocoa that killed three people. Investigators said a 41-year-old driver named Vernon Hodges, was drunk, leading troopers on a chase, reaching speeds of 110 miles per hour.When he got off on the interstate, deputies said he then slammed into two tow trucks, including Youmara’s.“It’s scary hearing a car go 80 miles an hour two feet from what you’re working on,” Youmara said. Hodge’s passengers; another man, and two women, died.Youmara was pinned under the car he was towing.“That’s when I heard an officer yelling ‘anybody under there? anybody?’ I was like, “Naw! run to the front of the truck… pull the lever.’” He recalled. Youmara survived with bruises, and a fracture in his skull. His wife, Jennifer Lewis urges other drivers to be careful. “Slow down. move over. The person on the road is somebody’s husband, somebody’s sister,” she said. Youmara said chances are he could go back to trucking in the future but there would likely be some changes.