A teenager was catapulted at least 25 feet in the air during an auto accident but grabbed onto overhead utility wires like an action hero and dangled for about 20 minutes before a rescue crew brought him down by ladder.
Joe R. Thompson III, 18, was treated for bruises and scratches at a hospital and was released.
Thompson lost control of his Jeep on Monday evening after another car suddenly turned in front of him. Thompson’s Jeep clipped the other car and rolled over and over, possibly five times, witnesses said.
The Jeep’s fiberglass top was ripped off, and Thompson, who was not wearing a seat belt, flew through the air, bouncing off three power lines and falling onto two utility wires. His leg caught in one wire, and he grabbed for the other.
Sgt. Ray Myers of the Blue Springs police said Thompson was “bear-hugging” the wires when help arrived.
