RICHMOND, Va. — Chelsey Trammel was riding in an Uber after her overnight shift Saturday morning when a Florida driver's wild chase up Interstate 95 turned her routine trip home into a terrifying ordeal.
"It felt like a movie to me... because the car's just going in a complete circle and all I could really do was just scream," Trammel said.
The 34-year-old Florida driver, Garrett Ryan Sulli, led Virginia State Police on a chase that began in Petersburg around 6:30 a.m. on Valentine's Day. Near the Arthur Ashe Boulevard exit in Richmond, troopers witnessed Sulli ram a vehicle off the interstate.
WATCH: Uber passenger describes being rammed by Florida driver in I-95 chase: 'It felt like a movie'
Trammel said she had an unusual feeling that morning that likely saved her life.
"It's kind of funny because I'm one of those people that don't wear my seatbelt doing an Uber," she admitted. "But for some reason, this day I was like, 'Let me put my seatbelt on.' That's why this whole situation is really eye-opening."
The impact sent the Uber spinning in circles on a bridge section of I-95 north. Trammel said the car slid against concrete barriers before her driver managed to pull to safety.
"I've never been in a situation where my life is in danger," Trammel said. "My whole feeling is screaming."
She praised her Uber driver for staying calm during the terrifying incident.
"He's trying to stay calm for the both of us. Like he's trying to make sure that we're safe because he is my Uber driver," she said.
Police arrived within 5 to 10 minutes of the crash. Officers told them they had received multiple calls about crashes caused by the same driver both behind and ahead of their location.
"When my boyfriend was picking me up, he was saying that he was seeing a lot of cars, some people were in ditches," Trammel said. "It's really like all from one person?"
State Police said Sulli caused 13 incidents, including Trammel's, during the chase before being arrested around 11:50 a.m. in Spotsylvania County for driving under the influence of drugs. Officials said no one was seriously injured.
Through social media, Trammel connected with other victims of the rampage, including another Uber driver who was also struck.
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Despite the trauma, Trammel said the experience has made her more determined to drive, not less.
"I just got my license this year and I'm going around looking for cars now," she said. "It didn't affect my feelings of being on the road. It just shows me that I need to be cautious no matter what."
Trammel had a message for Sulli: "It wasn't worth going out there and harming other people; it's not worth putting not only other people's lives but your life at risk. What really broke my heart the most is that he kept going. He didn't stop and didn't have any feeling whatsoever for the people that he was damaging."
She added, "I really hope he gets the help that he needs, but then I also hope that a lot of people get the justice that they need for this."
Anyone who witnessed the incidents, has additional information or is a victim is urged to call Virginia State Police Division 1 Dispatch at 804-750-8758 or #77 on a cellphone or email questions@vsp.virginia.gov.
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