CHESAPEAKE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – A Chesapeake couple is breathing a sigh of relief after a brush with the September 29, 2024, mudslide on Interstate 40 that shut the road down and damaged multiple vehicles in its path.

Alan Keffer and his wife, Kelly, were headed home from the National Quartet Convention when they saw trees start to fall onto the roadway as rain fell and water coursed down the rocks of mountains just west of Asheville. Alan Keffer then noticed something in the corner of his left eye and looked toward the window.

“We like to watch mudslides and other disasters on YouTube now and then, and so as soon as I saw it, I knew exactly what was happening, so I just floored the accelerator and tried to get out of there,” he says. “But we didn’t quite make it.”

A dramatic video (below) captured by the camera in the car’s rear window includes the sight and sound of mud and rocks cascading down the mountainside, their mass knocking concrete barriers across the road, where they plowed into other vehicles.

“I didn’t feel it. It wasn’t like the car moved or anything, but I was tensed up and trying to push the gas pedal to the floor, but the whole thing lasted, what, about four seconds, maybe? It wasn’t long and we were out of it.”

A second video posted on Facebook (below) shows the car’s extensive damage, including a hole in the roof and what was left of the rear window.

The two were relieved to learn that there had been no injuries.

“I’m thankful that my wife finds favor with the Lord,” says Alan Keffer, “but I’m going to stay close to her until some of that protection will cover me too,” he said, followed by a chuckle. The two both hope it will be a once in a lifetime event.

Courtesy of Alan Keffer

 

Courtesy of Kelly Keffer