‘I didn't see him': Details released in wild car dragging video

Video shows 18-wheeler pushing Mercedes down San Antonio highway

SAN ANTONIO – UPDATE: The driver of the Mercedes has been identified as Leon Morris, 58, and the driver of the 18-wheeler has been identified as Raymond Morales, 48.

Morales was driving in the far left lane on I-35 North when Morris was was entering the highway from the Main Street entrance ramp, according to an accident report.

Morris merged onto the highway and skid marks show that Morales entered the lane Morris was in, striking the Mercedes.

Morales told police he didn't realize he was dragging the Mercedes at first and tried to stop when he realized there was a car in front of his big rig, according to the report.

Morris was taken to the hospital and Morales was visibly shaken, but the report doesn't go into further detail.

KSAT reached out to Morris, whose attorney allegedly instructed him not to talk to the media.

Texas Peace Officer Crash Report

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An 18-wheeler was caught on camera pushing a black two-door Mercedes down I-35 North past the exit for 281 Monday afternoon in San Antonio.

Adrian Lopez shared a post to Facebook with three videos depicting the incident, writing that the truck pushed the Mercedes for nearly a mile.

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The post has been shared more than 3,000 times in just two hours, at the time of this publication.

Watch the video below:
**WARNING: The videos contain graphic language.

A spokesperson with the San Antonio Police Department confirmed that officers were called to I-35 N and San Pedro avenue at 1 p.m. Monday afternoon for a reported vehicle accident.

Noel Smith, program director for Sage at St. Phillips College Truck Driving Training School, shared his opinion of what could have gone wrong.

"This accident, from what I saw with these pictures, it actually shows that everything has to be at the right place and the right time for that Mercedes to not know he was there and for (the truck driver) not to know that Mercedes was there and for them to get to that same particular point," Smith said. "It's just one of those things that just happened."

Smith said he can understand how the truck driver may not have seen the Mercedes. 

"I still say I don't think he realized that he hit that vehicle," Smith said. "I know he thinks something is wrong, but he doesn't know what it is. That's what I'm thinking that driver behind that wheel is (thinking). Unless someone got him to roll his window down, I don't see how he would know."

Smith also believes that the driver of the big rig may have been looking for a safe place to pull over, unaware of the Mercedes in front of him.

"If (the driver of the Mercedes) would have been hit at any higher speed, (the driver of the big rig) would have probably ... crushed the car," Smith said. "He didn't run over him because the car was tall enough that it had to push him. So I think he was kind of slowing down to move over to the right lane and the Mercedes was coming out. If he would have been doing 50 or 60 miles an hour, I think the guy in the Mercedes wouldn't be here."

Both the driver of the Mercedes and the truck company declined to comment on Tuesday.


About the Authors

Stephanie Serna is a weekday anchor on Good Morning San Antonio and GMSA at 9 a.m. She joined the KSAT 12 News team in November 2009 as a general assignments reporter.

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