FIFE, WA (KOMO/CNN) - A man's quick reflexes saved his life.
Mike Norris was driving along a busy freeway Wednesday when debris came flying through his windshield. He ducked down right on time.
Norris was on his way to work, heading north on I-5 in, when he noticed something in the air.
"I saw just a black object fly up off the black top and it went up maybe 50, 60 feet in the air, and at first it kind of seemed like a plastic bag or something so I thought, 'Huh?'" he said.
Before he could really think about it, the debris crashed through his windshield, narrowly missing him.
"All I could do was hold onto the steering wheel, shake the glass out of my eyes and look at traffic around me so I didn't kill anybody else," Norris said.
The chunk of debris was a steel plate from a brake drum that likely fell off a semi or older truck.
The roughly 5-pound plate hit Norris in the shoulder and caused some bruising.
He went to the doctors, fearing he might have glass in his eyes, but he's OK.
"I'm lucky to be alive, for sure," he said.
Norris, who just moved from Nevada about a month ago, said he was mostly just shaken up and in disbelief.
"It happened so fast that it was crazy," he said. "I'm going to keep the steel as a memento because I feel that it could have taken my life, so it's been a really surreal day."
Officials said there were no reports of any stalled vehicles in the area. They still aren't sure where the debris came from.
It serves as a reminder to all motorists to secure loads on their vehicles.
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