Bayway driver: Seat belt saved my life

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Melissa Morris said she is still in shock and thankful to be alive after her car jumped the Bayway Bridge’s guard rail and splashed down into the water below.

Drivers on the Bayway were greeted by a sight not often seen; a car being hoisted out of Mobile Bay by a crane Sunday afternoon.

Its driver, 37-year-old Melissa Morris, was rescued as well and is recovering at USA Medical Center.

"Luckily, I just sprained an ankle, and I am badly bruised and cut up, especially where my seatbelt was," Morris said.

Morris is still in shock and said she knows she’s fortunate to be alive.

Photos: Bayway accident and rescue

Morris was heading westbound on the Bayway. It’s a trip she’s made several times over the two months since losing her mother.

Morris lives in Fairhope and has been driving to Mobile to handle her late mother's affairs.

Alabama State Trooper Sgt . Joe Piggott said speed was a factor in the accident.

He said, "She was driving too fast and lost control of her car."

Morris says she swerved to avoid rear-ending a car in front of her.

"I remember swerving to miss the car in front of me, I lost control of my vehicle and that's when I hit the side. My airbag deployed and I lost consciousness and next thing I know I am in the water," said Morris.

She believes her seatbelt and having the top down on her convertible saved her life.

After the accident, a bystander found a Bible in the water.

It was her mother's, and Morris plans to get it back when she is released from the hospital. Morris has asked that people be on the lookout for her purse and other personal belongings as well.