Desionne Franklin says he was hitting both the gas and the break in a desperate bid to get out of the grip of the terrifying mudslide.
The driver of the car swept down a California street by a powerful mudslide earlier this week is opening up about the pulse-pounding situation.
The motorist, 44-year-old Desionne Franklin miraculously survived without a scratch in the terrifying incident that occurred in Burbank.
“The mudslide was more powerful than the car was," he told Inside Edition. "I was going down the hill and when it pushed me, the force was amazing. I completely lost control of my brakes and steering wheel.”
His girlfriend was in the passenger seat, but both were OK.
Meanwhile, more is being learned about that the leveled home featured in a poignant video by Oprah this week, including the fact that it belongs to Oscar-winning actor Jeff Bridges.
Bridges, the media mogul’s neighbor in the Montecito area, saw his home get demolished by the mudslides, but he is more concerned about the victims of the natural disaster.
“We are heartbroken over the loss of lives in our community,” he posted.
The death toll in Montecito now stands at 17, including four children aged 10 and younger.
Rescue dogs searched the ruins of multi-million dollar homes Friday for the missing. There is hope that perhaps some may be trapped in air pockets under the mud and debris.
“We believe that there are voids where people can be alive and well and waiting for someone to come help them,” one rescuer told Inside Edition.
As the grim search goes on for people still missing in the mudslides, a feud is erupting between actor Rob Lowe and former Disney star Bella Thorne, who complained that the closure of Route 101 was interfering with her social life.
Actress Bella Throne took to Twitter to complain that she was missing her rapper boyfriend’s first night of his tour due to highway closures.
Lowe, who lives in stricken Montecito, fired back: “This is why people hate celebrities. Bella, sorry you were inconvenienced. We will try to move our dead out quicker.”
Bella's boyfriend, rapper Mod Sun, joined the mudslinging as he defended his girlfriend.
“Just the facts baby!" he said. "Telling the truth.”
She later tweeted she didn't know why the highway was closed and expressed remorse about her comments.
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