James says that his immediate concern was the possibility that he would lose control of his car and kill a fellow driver, so he decided to sacrifice his own life by turning into an abandoned parking lot and crashing his vehicle at a speed of 110 mph.
A father of three heading home after picking up an extra shift found himself in a life-or-death situation when he says his accelerator became stuck, and no matter what he did his car would not slow down.
James Bennefield tells Inside Edition that his car actually started picking up speed.
The EMT called for emergency assistance, but nothing could be done, leaving him panicked and terrified before the call suddenly cut off.
What happened next is nothing short of a miracle.
"I definitely thought that I was gonna die," James says of that tense moment.
James says that his immediate concern was the possibility that he would lose control of his car and kill a fellow driver, so he decided to sacrifice his own life by turning into an abandoned parking lot and crashing his vehicle at a speed of 110 mph.
"It was the most terrifying experience in my life. As soon as I left the road, kind of shoved my arms out just to try to protect my head," James tells Inside Edition.
The car then preceded to flip over five times before finally coming to a stop. The crash destroyed the vehicle but left James with just one injury — a dislocated thumb.
Robert Sinclair of Triple-A says that drivers should stay calm if their accelerator gets stuck and try to loosen the pedal with their foot. If that does not work he suggests switching from drive to neutral.
He says that drivers should never cut the engine, explaining that this takes away the power steering and power brakes that are crucial in these situations.
James meanwhile is recovering with his family in Georgia. He does not have health insurance, so a GoFundMe has been started to help him with medical bills.
