YORK COUNTY, Va. — Darryl Butler, Jr. sat at Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News Sunday afternoon, hours after he was convinced he was going to die.
“Kind of get a little emotional about this, ‘cause my mom passed away in a car accident, and to watch my life flash before my eyes, and knowing that’s how my mom died, knowing that God still allowed me to see today and talk to you guys, knows I’m here for a purpose,” Butler said.
The 22-year-old was driving on Interstate 64 in York County when a car hit him from behind. Butler remembered being hit six or seven times after that.
His car and the others were among 69 vehicles involved in a pileup in the westbound lanes of the interstate near Camp Peary.
“I even watched a Ford F-150 flip up in the air,” recalled Butler. "...both of my airbags were deployed, uh, had instant whiplash, but I did not panic."
Virginia State Police said, in all, more than 50 people were hurt in the crash. Doctors at four hospitals included them for a range of injuries. Two of the people had critical injuries.
Early in the day, troopers said that fog and ice on the roadway played a role in what happened. Late Sunday, they still were trying to figure out what set everything in motion. They expected their investigation to take at least a couple of days.
RELATED: 69 vehicles involved in crash on Interstate 64 in York County; dozens of people treated at hospitals