It was rush hour on a Tuesday, and Dorothy Otto was sitting in traffic in her Pontiac Bonneville on the lower level of the Cypress Freeway, in Oakland, California, when the voice on the radio said, We 're having an earthquake. Suddenly, the concrete around her began to ripple. There was a giant crash, and a large, heavy beam dropped on the front of her car, crushing the engine, barely missing her face. The car dropped 20 feet, and when it settled, Otto's left foot was trapped. The double-decker freeway had collapsed, pinning motorists in their cars. Otto found a pen and decided to write a note to her husband, just in case. Jack, earthquake hit while I was under concrete, worst happened, she wrote. It collapsed on car. I 'm alive, just my left foot is stuck under the car. Hope they do n't kill me getting me out. Love you lots, good luck to us both. Firefighter Lorenzo Frediani was running out of time as he struggled to free Otto's foot and get her to safety. Each aftershock lowered the upper deck, bringing it closer to crushing Otto and Frediani. Then, Frediani was able to nudge the crushed dashboard just enough. Otto was free. Her section of the Cypress collapsed 20 minutes later. That was October 17, 1989. The magnitude 6.9 earthquake, now called Loma Prieta, killed 63 people, 42 of them on the Cypress freeway. The quake caused $10 billion in damage, ultimately inspiring