A North Canton couple is counting their blessings after surviving a massive pile-up crash caused by a dust storm in Kansas on Friday.
The devastating crash on I-70 near Goodland involved more than 70 vehicles and claimed the lives of eight people.
Patty Dowd Schmitz and Bob Rybak were heading home when they found themselves trapped in the chaos. Bob, who was behind the wheel, managed to swerve past two semis that had stopped in front of them just as the blinding dust storm hit.
Patty described the terrifying moments as vehicles collided one after another.
“All these cars kept crashing. It was almost like a cadence. Every five seconds, it was like boom, screeching metal. Boom—another one. Boom—another one. And every single time, because the visibility was so low, you didn’t know if you were going to get hit.”
Their car was struck five times during the chain reaction of crashes.
Miraculously, neither of them was injured, though eight others lost their lives in the tragic pile-up.
The couple has since secured a rental car and is making their way back home.
