On the morning after that huge crash last month on I-35W, I watched some of the amateur video. I remember texting with a friend about it. “No way that guy in the FJ Cruiser made it.” He’d slid into the pileup on black ice at what looked like a survivable speed, but then a semi plowed into him going way too fast. More than 130 cars were involved, and six people died.
Well, I was wrong about the guy in FJ Cruiser. His name is Trey McDaniel. Not only did he survive the crash, but he climbed out of his car and started helping the wounded. McDaniel turns out to be a MedStar paramedic, and — get this — before becoming a paramedic, he worked at a Toyota dealership.
Can you imagine hearing this news and working in the marketing department at Toyota? If you think they did a tasteful touchdown dance before they offered McDaniel a free replacement vehicle and then invited him on their Toyota Untold podcast, then I tend to agree with you. McDaniel likes Mini-Wheats, and he sounds like a badass. He’s got a great, harrowing story to tell. Worth a listen.