Emergency crews used ropes and pulleys to lower a car that was dangling from an elevated garage in downtown Austin Friday

“It couldn’t have gone any better,” he said.

Karl Schmidt, a bicycle messenger, was biking down the alley as the car crashed through.

The garage’s safety wires were wrapped around the vehicle’s wheel and kept it from falling to the ground, fire officials said.

The driver was able to exit the vehicle safely with the help of bystanders and was not injured, officials said.

“The fact that the gentleman lived after driving off the ninth floor is a miracle,” said Austin Fire Division Chief Palmer Buck.

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Ceudy Gutierrez reads a book to her 2-year-old son, Matias, at their home in Buford, GA, on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. Ceudy Gutierrez is struggling to make ends meet for herself and her three young kids following her husband’s ICE arrest earlier this fall. (Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez