Sarah Meredith, a truck driver with decades of experience, faced a life-threatening situation on July 28. While driving on I-4 near Seffner at 3:40 a.m., she spotted a car coming straight toward her and other drivers on the road. Swiftly realizing the danger, she swerved her truck to avoid a catastrophic collision, putting her own life on the line.
“I turned that wheel, taking my own life into my hands,” shared Meredith, who remains in pain from the crash. “My training tells me not to do this, but I knew in my heart if I did not do it, somebody was going to die that morning and I did not want that on me.”
Her quick thinking spared many lives, but she ended up trapped upside down for two hours with broken ribs and extensive bruises. Rescuers worked tirelessly to free her from the wreckage. Meanwhile, the wrong-way driver, Arda Sengun, was arrested and found to have a blood alcohol level of .187, more than twice the legal limit.
Meredith’s ordeal underscores the devastating consequences of drunk driving. Her aim now is to raise awareness about the perils of getting behind the wheel under the influence. She hopes that her experience will prevent others from enduring the pain and suffering she’s going through.
“This shouldn’t happen to anyone who’s just trying to lead a normal life,” she emphasized, referring to the string of wrong-way crashes that have affected Tampa Bay. “I don’t want anybody else to go through the pain and suffering that I’m going through, or if that accident did take my life, what would my family, my kids?”
The driver responsible for the wrong-way incident was released on a $2,000 bond after spending just over 24 hours in jail. He faces charges of DUI with serious bodily injury, highlighting the severe legal consequences of driving under the influence.
Meredith’s brave actions remind us all of the importance of responsible driving and the potential impact on countless lives when someone chooses to drive while impaired.
