Street racer caused chain of events that sent woman 30 feet off overpass, GSP says

ATLANTA — A woman is alive after falling 30 feet from an interstate bridge after police say a street racer is what put her life in jeopardy.

Leslie Reese, 27, underwent surgery Wednesday for her injuries.

Channel 2′s Tom Jones spoke to her father, Irving Reese, as he waited to hear how his daughter was doing at Grady Memorial Hospital.

“That’s my baby girl,” Irving Reese said, choking back tears. “I’m just in disbelief that my daughter fell off that bridge. I just can’t believe that she fell off that bridge and survived.”

Leslie Reese’s Chevrolet Cruze broke down around 4 p.m. Monday in the emergency lane on Interstate 85 just south of Piedmont Road.

She had called her roommate to pick her up and she was outside her car on the phone with a friend, Kelly King, who was on Plaster Avenue down below.

King said that’s when tragedy struck.

“She heard her scream and the next thing she knows she hit the ground,” Irving Reese said.

Leslie Reese had fallen about 30 feet, leaving her severely injured.

“All I heard was a loud noise,” King said.

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King told Jones that she works nearby and heard Reese hit the ground and ran to help.

“She was conscious. I know she was definitely in shock. So we were just trying to keep her still,” King said.

The Georgia State Patrol said a suspected street racer set it all in motion.

Officers say Horace Dillard Jr. was traveling at excessive speeds, weaving in and out of traffic, and racing another car. They say he hit another car, causing that driver to hit Reese and her car. The impact sent Reese flying over the bridge.

Reese’s father told Jones he wasn’t happy to hear that street racing may have played a role in putting his daughter’s life in jeopardy.

“Trying not to be angry about the situation,” Irving Reese said.

The father said Leslie Reese has broken bones all over her body. But he said she is alive and even remembers what happened.

“She just kept saying that she can’t believe that happened to her. That’s the kind of stuff that happens in the movies,” Irving Reese said.

Lesli Reese underwent surgery Wednesday and seems to be doing well, according to her father.

Dillard is now in the Fulton County jail. He faces charges of reckless conduct, driving too fast for conditions, and serious injury by vehicle, along with other charges.

He is being held on a $195,000 bond.

Irving Reese said he is praying for him because he ruined his life for nothing.

The family has set up a GoFundMe account to help Leslie Reese with her medical expenses.

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