ESPN sportscaster Cordell Patrick and his wife were traveling along Highway 14 from Newhall when he was ejected from their RV. Disturbing footage captured the aftermath, depicting Patrick lying on the highway, blood streaming from his head, and his clothes torn. Miraculously, despite sustaining severe injuries, Patrick considers his survival a result of ‘divine intervention.’
The incident unfolded as the couple was en route from Newhall to their residence in Valencia. Patrick, in a hospital bed later, explained that he had unbuckled his seatbelt to use the restroom when he noticed the RV heading in the wrong direction, his wife having dozed off. In an attempt to regain control, Patrick rushed to the steering wheel, but the RV collided with a divider, propelling him out of a window and onto the southbound carpool lane outside Newhall.
Video footage reveals the extent of Patrick’s injuries, with skin torn off on his arms, stomach, and legs. Undeterred by his battered state, Patrick recounted, ‘I knew I need to get up, or I was going to die. I looked at my right ankle, and it was pointed backward. So, there was going to be no walking. I just started scooting myself to the median.’
During this critical moment, a Good Samaritan named Alf Smithey pulled over after witnessing the RV collision. Smithey, captured on video asking Patrick if he knew his own name, reassured him about his wife’s well-being. Patrick expressed gratitude for the support, saying, ‘People started sending me the video of me being thrown from the RV. After that, I just got down on my knees and thanked God because I shouldn’t be alive.’
When emergency responders arrived, Patrick, conscious and breathing, was transported to the hospital by the LA County Fire Department. Despite suffering multiple broken bones, a dislocated shoulder, head lacerations, and road rash covering approximately 60 percent of his body, Patrick remains thankful for his survival, emphasizing the profound nature of what he perceives as ‘divine intervention.’
