CLOSE CALL: Davis County couple says kids threw a rock at their car while on freeway

SYRACUSE, Utah (ABC4) — A Davis County couple had a scary experience when something was apparently thrown off a pedestrian bridge at their car, narrowly missing the windshield. They believe the two who may be responsible are young children. The couple is sharing their story in hopes that parents will talk to their kids about how dangerous this is.

The Nickle’s dashcam footage shows what appears to be a rock falling from the pedestrian bridge that crosses over the West Davis Corridor near Antelope Drive in Syracuse. It also shows two people standing on the bridge in the same area of the bridge from where the object falls.  

“It sounded like a firework went off in our car,” Stacie Nickle told ABC4. “Three of us were very confused about what happened.” Her husband, Mark, then added: “I immediately looked back at the review mirror running off the walkway.”  

“One was small,” Mark said. “Maybe eight or nine years old.” He believes the other child may have been about six inches taller.  

WATCH: Dash cam video of the crash

They filed a report with the Syracuse Police Department. The department told ABC4 that no one has been identified. If they were to figure out who did it, they would speak with their parents.  

“We’re not looking to find who it is,” stated Stacie. “We just want the word out.” Mark added, “We just don’t want it to happen again.”  

The rock (or object) narrowly missed the windshield. “I feel like we missed something that could have ended a lot more tragically,” Stacie said.  

However, it did hit the vehicle’s roof. The car has a panoramic sunroof, which means the majority of the roof is covered in a glass panel. The entire thing, the couple said, will have to be replaced and may cost thousands of dollars.  

“Luckily, the car is repairable,” Stacie added. “We are not repairable.”  

They hope parents will talk to their children about the dangers of doing something like this in hopes that it won’t happen to anyone else in the area. It’s a sentiment shared by UDOT.   

“It’s as dangerous as it can get,” UDOT Spokesperson Mitch Shaw told ABC4. “We haven’t had anything like this happen in Utah, but there have been some national cases where people have thrown stuff off bridges or overpasses and hit cars and people have died. When that happens, the penalties are obviously extremely severe. People have gone to prison for that type of activity.”  

It’s a thought that now hits too close to home for the couple.  “We could have totally been killed,” stated Stacie.