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Sledgehammer Flies Through Windshield, Hurts Driver

LOVELAND, Colo. (CBS4) - A Loveland grandmother is healing after a sledgehammer fell off a truck and onto her car.

Jennifer Coll, 60, says she was on her way to work last Friday when she noticed what she thought was a monkey wrench hurtling toward her car. It turned out to be a sledgehammer, which crashed through her windshield. The impact broke her nose and bruised her face.

Police located the sledgehammer but they don't know who was driving the truck.

Coll says she's more concerned about getting the word out about what happened.

The incident happened while Coll was driving on Taft Hill Road in Fort Collins. She's now driving a rental because her Scion is pretty beat up with a large hole through the windshield.

"I've got two black eyes," Coll said. "The nose is broken."

She has three stitches under her nose and a lot of bruises.

"I heard the loud noise, the explosion. I felt excruciating pain," she said. "I don't know how it happened, but it got me in the face."

Coll is convinced it's guardian angels and God who stopped her car safely. Another driver stopped to help and called 911. Now Coll wants to tie down or cover loads and tools.

"Use rope, use tarps, use toolboxes to contain tools," she said "Or if you have one or two tools, put them in the cab of the truck.

Sledgehammer Map
(credit: CBS)

"I could have been killed. I am astounded that the injuries aren't any worse than they are."

The Fort Collins Police Department is holding the sledgehammer as evidence, although the police spokeswoman says it appears this was just a fluke incident and says the truck driver likely has no idea the hammer fell off the truck.

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