A dented hood isn’t that bad when you consider what could have happened to Melinda Fredricks, a West Seattle mom of two.
"It happened so fast, but it was also like it was in slow motion," she said.
Fredricks was driving with her 17-year-old son on Interstate 5 through downtown Seattle Tuesday morning when she said she saw a man with a rock take aim at her moving car.
"I saw the man standing on the side. I saw the brick coming through the air and I was like, 'Oh my gosh.' In that moment, you just can’t react," Fredricks said.
"In the moment, you have so much adrenaline and you just think, 'It’s OK. Everybody is OK,'" she said.
Her car wasn’t the only one hit. That same day, Michael Magnussen was driving on Interstate 90 near Rainier Avenue and heard something that just didn't sound right.
"I heard a big bang, looked at my windshield and didn't see any cracking over, anything like that. And I said, 'Oh boy, it just sounded bad.' Then I look up and see my whole sunroof is shattered," Magnussen said.
In both cases, Washington State Patrol (WSP) said the drivers called 911 and police responded quickly.
"Typically when something like that happens, we immediately contact Seattle police also and they’re pretty good about responding to the area and trying to locate the individual doing this," said Trooper Rick Johnson with the WSP.
The reality is that catching a suspect isn’t easy – especially because they tend to leave the area quickly and most times, drivers can't get a good look at the person throwing debris.
"I think that you’re definitely putting other people’s lives in danger," Johnson continued.
WSP wants to remind drivers to keep a look out and don’t hesitate to call if you see something that’s out of the ordinary.
Because in these two cases, as the pictures show, it could have been much worse.
