'I saw the light of death:' Florida Uber driver who miraculously survived wrong way crash speaks out

ORLANDO, Fla. - Wrong-way driving crashes can oftentimes end in dangerous or catastrophic endings. Within recent months, central Florida and Florida have seen a number of them. 

FOX 35 has closely followed the story of an Uber driver and his passenger after they were hit head-on by a wrong-way driver on I-4 near Central Florida Parkway back in October. 

Herve Refuse, was driving for Uber one early October morning. Herve picked up his passenger, Marcus Frutchey to bring him back home. Herve said he noticed a car was going the wrong way on I-4 but when he tried to move over, it was too late. The wrong-way driver crashed into him head-on. 

"When they hit me, I just wow. I didn’t have any time to react because he was so fast. From there, everything disappeared, I don’t remember what happened," Herve Refused said. 

Herve stayed in the hospital for nearly a month. He broke his arms, part of his foot and his leg. He’s in rehab now and not sure when he’ll be able to walk again. 

Days ago, a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper down in south Florida died in a wrong-way crash while chasing a criminal on I-95. In December, a woman died and another person was hurt in a wrong-way crash on I-4 near Winter Park. In December, an Apopka police officer was hurt in a head-on crash after a wrong-way driver hit them. 

Trooper Garcia told me, they try to respond as quickly as they can to a wrong-way driver because seconds count. 

"We don’t know what we’re going to do until we have those couple of seconds when we are face to face with that driver. So most importantly, our goal is to stop them, whether that’s sometimes putting our car as protection," Trooper Garcia said. 

If you approach a wrong-way driver, you want to move over to the right side. Getting over to the grassy area or shoulder. Slow down, in case there is an impact reducing your speed could prevent death or serious injury. Always call 911 if you see a wrong-way driver. 

"So if it takes you completely going on the grass to prevent all of this, you know, it’s better to get a flat tire in your car than to hit head-on with another vehicle," Trooper Garcia said. 

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, wrong-way crashes are more likely to happen during the dark hours, 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. to be exact. Data shows there are more wrong-way crashes on weekends compared to weekdays. If you’re on a two-lane highway, driving in the lane on the right could be key. 

The NTSB says seven out of nine wrong-way crashes happen in the left lane, or the passing lane. This is because wrong-way drivers think they are on a two-lane, two-direction road, thinking they’re going the right way. 

Even though both Marcus & Herve have a long road to recovery, being alive is a huge accomplishment in itself. 

"It was a miracle, it was a miracle because I saw the light of death," Refuse said. 

Both Marcus and Herve haven’t been able to see each other in person yet but Herve hopes they can one day soon. 

"Yeah, I want to see him in person but I don’t know how I will feel, I’ll say sorry to him, but sorry is not enough, but I’m sorry," he said. 

The woman in this case accused of driving the wrong way told troopers she fell asleep. 

Troopers handed down citations for driving on the wrong side of a divided highway, possession of an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle, and misrepresentation of insurance. 

During a December court appearance, a judge dismissed the wrong-way driving charges and the driver left with fines for the other two citations.