CULLEOKA, Tenn. -
A Culleoka woman is thankful to be alive after surviving a rollover traffic accident.
The Maury County Fire Department responded to a single car accident on Culleoka Highway Tuesday morning, outside of Columbia.
The driver, Donna Davaloz, lost control of her car after she swerved to avoid a roll of wire which was laying in the middle of the road.
"When we pulled up the vehicle was on its top, kind of up an embankment off the road, and you could tell that the top was caved in a little bit, and she was hanging upside down by her seatbelt," Captain Richey Schatz told Nashville's News 2.
The fire department used a piece of equipment called a spreader, also referred to as the jaws of life, to remove the passenger side door, so they could get Davaloz out of her car.
Removing Davaloz from the car was the first priority, but she goes everywhere with her small Yorkshire terrier named Abby.
During the accident, Abby ended up trapped with the car on top of her head.
"We could see that the dog, that it's breathing was slowing down a little bit," said Schatz. "It looked like it had gone through the sun roof of the vehicle, and the top of the car had it pinned to the ground right at its neck."
With no time to spare, the firemen decided to used the jaws of life to lift the car off of the dog.
"We were able to lift it about 4 or 5 inches, and as soon as we did, that the dog pulled its head right out and started to walk around like nothing ever happened," said Schatz.
Abby was given a complete check up by a veterinarian and did not suffer any apparent injuries as a result of the crash.
Davaloz was treated and released from the hospital and is recovering from her injuries at home.
She has two broken bones, a few cuts and several bumps and bruises.
She told Nashville's News 2 that she thanks God for saving both of their lives.
