Icy road conditions led a 22-year-old nursing student into Lake Lanier during the Thursday, February 10 morning commute.

At around 6:30 a.m. that morning, Bianca Vera was driving on the Ga. 53 bridge near the Gainesville Marina.  She was driving slowly because the bridge had iced up.  Another car sideswiped Ms. Vera’s car and caused Ms. Vera’s car to hit the concrete pillar on the side of the bridge.  Ms. Vera got out of her car to inspect the damage.

As Ms. Vera was inspecting her car, she noticed a tractor trailer sliding toward her. Unsure of whether the truck had any control or the ability to stop, Ms. Vera reportedly felt unsafe on the bridge and decided to jump the approximately 35-40 feet down into Lake Lanier where the water temperature was approximately 40 degrees.

It took emergency workers about 30 minutes to reach Ms. Vera.  She had suffered a leg injury in her jump and hypothermia from the cold water temperatures.  Yet, she was able to swim to the shore and wait for help.

The tractor trailer was not reported to be in an accident on the bridge that morning.

We extend our best wishes for a full and complete recovery to Ms. Vera following this Georgia crash.