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Toyota Replaces Hero Medic’s FJ Cruiser After Fort Worth 133-Vehicle Pileup

Hollywood scripts have nothing on real life. Sometimes, even horrific fictional stories, like those of the inevitable chain disasters from Final Destination, pale in comparison with events in real life. Look no further than the Fort Worth, Texas 133-vehicle pileup that took place on February 11, 2021, for confirmation.
Hero medic's 2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser after the Fort Worth pileup 6 photos
Photo: reddit.com / treyman
Hero medic's 2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser after the Fort Worth pileupHero medic's 2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser after the Fort Worth pileupHero medic's 2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser after the Fort Worth pileupToyota comes through for hero medic involved in the Fort Worth pileupHero medic's 2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser before the Fort Worth pileup
At 6.30 on the morning of February 11, on Interstate 35 outside Fort Worth,TX, 133 vehicles, including dozens of semis, some of them loaded with cars, were involved in a mass accident caused by black ice. The overnight freezing rain and sleet had turned the road very slick. Six people died and dozens of victims were in need of medical assistance, after becoming trapped in their smashed vehicles.

A video of the pileup as it happened is included below. At one point, a white truck is seen crashing into the ever-growing mass of vehicles. Moments later, a semi comes barreling down, smashes into it and the force of the impact sends the now-crumpled vehicle into the opposite lane, over the barrier.

The man in the truck survived. Not just that, but he was able to get out of the car and, as he puts it himself, he went into “emergency mode” and started helping out other victims. The man was a MedStar paramedic, Trey McDaniel, at the wheel of his 2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser, which “literally saved [his] life,” as he says on reddit.

Speaking with NBCDWF, McDaniel says he started helping other victims as soon as he got his bearings. He was dizzy and in pain, understandable considering his car had just been turned into a pile of unrecognizable metal, but he was able to help out. The fact that he was already in his uniform, since he was driving to work when the accident happened, meant he got to help out for some time before other medics on the scene realized he was a victim himself.

McDaniel posted about his experience, leaving out the details of his heroic behavior afterwards and explaining how the ABS and his offroad tires, as well as the car itself saved his life. “I was launched over the center barrier into the Northbound lanes while still inside. If you slow the video down, I made a full rotation, my roof rack came off, and the FJ landed on top of it, fortunately wheels down. Every airbag deployed, and the cab was a safe cocoon,” he writes. “I was alive. I oriented myself and crawled out of my driver window.”

Meanwhile, a friend launched a GoFundMe in his name, in the hope that he might be able to replace the vehicle – an essential item for him, since he needs it for his daily work commute.

The only other silver lining in this horrible tragedy, besides McDaniel’s altruism, bravery and dedication, is the fact that he’s getting his car sooner than he imagined. Toyota caught wind of his story (hat tip to TMR), with ToyotaUSA reaching out to him on reddit, to let him know that this was one thing he shouldn’t have to worry about: they would replace the car.

McDaniel is getting a truck-based SUV, the TRD 4Runner. So he can continue to be a hero.

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About the author: Elena Gorgan
Elena Gorgan profile photo

Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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