Zelina Vega had a terrifying rental car accident after wrapping filming for a movie, and somehow she still made it to the airport.
While speaking with Dakota Kai, Vega explained that after filming finished, she watched Ronda Rousey’s fight and then had to begin a two-hour drive to the airport around 4:15 in the morning. The weather quickly became a problem, with rain and snow hitting during the drive.
“Then after we finished shooting everything… Theo had his and we were watching Ronda’s fight. And it was so quick and we’re like, ‘Okay, you baby.’ Yeah. She did what she needed to do. And then I needed to start driving to the airport cuz my airport was like 2 hours away. So, I had to drive there… around 4:15 in the morning.”
Vega said she was only five minutes from the airport when her wheel suddenly turned, causing her to hit the median. The crash left major damage to the rental car, including the mirror, door handle, gas tank, and front end.
“Uh, and I was fine. I was like it was raining and then it was snowing. I don’t know how the—this bipolar weather was crazy. It was like raining, snowing and then all of a sudden, like I’m 5 minutes away, literally 5 from the airport. And all of a sudden my wheel goes and it went that way and I went to pull it this way and then I hit the median. And they completely like… my gas tank went from being like halfway full to like being empty. The mirror off, the handle for the door off, everything is all scratched up and the front part was completely totaled.”
Thankfully, Vega said she felt fine physically after the crash. She blamed the rough weather conditions and made it clear she hates driving in rain and snow.
“And I didn’t feel anything. Like, I’m glad you were okay. Yeah, no, I feel totally fine. I think it was snowing and raining, probably was a mixture of that. I hate driving in that weather.”
The situation became even more frustrating when the responding officer kept asking whether she had been on her phone. Vega said she was not, and felt like the officer was trying to pin the accident on her.
“But the cop was just like, ‘Were you on your phone? Were you on your phone?’ I was like… ‘What do you want to say?’ Mind you, I really wasn’t. Like, I had it like propped up and [stuff]. And I sat down and I was like, ‘I am not a teenager. Like, no, I have not been in an accident since I was a kid practically. Like, this isn’t like a normal thing. I’m like, I don’t know how y’all do it out here.’”
Vega said the officer continued questioning whether she was paying attention, which only made her more irritated because she believed the road conditions played a major role.
“He was like, ‘Oh yeah, like were you paying attention?’ I’m like, ‘Dude, what are we doing?’ Like, I know you’re trying to blame it on me and like whatever. I said, ‘But like, your roads are [bad]. So, like I don’t know.’”
She also said there were no other cars on the road and believed the officer may have been trying to assign blame because the Department of Transportation owned the damaged median.
“Literally there was no one else on the road with me. Yeah. Well, not just that, but I think he was trying to like make sure that I got the blame because the Department of Transportation owns that median. So, like because that got [messed] up, he was trying to blame it on me so that I have to pay for it.”
Even though she was upset, Vega knew she needed the officer’s help because she still had a flight to catch and no time to waste. Vega explained that she told the officer she had to get home to see a sick family member, and she needed help getting to the airport.
“Right away I’m mad, but I was like, no, but I need him because I got to get to the airport and I’m not missing this flight. And I was boarding at 5:00, and it was already 4:15. So, I was like, be nice to you. Just ask him for a ride. Just be nice. Whatever. So, I was like, ‘Hey, um I know this is crazy, but um I got to go. Like, I got a flight. Like, I’m on my way to go see like a sick family member. Like, I need to get home.’”
The officer originally asked if she could try driving the damaged car, which shocked Vega because the vehicle was clearly wrecked. She then explained that the car was technically on, but the tire was losing pressure and the damage made it impossible to drive safely.
“He was just like, ‘Oh I have to save the car until it gets towed or whatever.’ Cuz initially he was like, ‘Can you try driving it?’ And I was like, ‘Are we looking at the same vehicle, sir?’ He’s like, ‘Why don’t you turn the car on?’ I said, ‘It is on.’ The tire was losing pressure. Like it was all kinds of messed up.”
Since the officer had to stay with the car until it was towed, he called another officer to take her to the airport. Vega said she was relieved because she could not get an Uber and absolutely had to make the flight.
“He’s like, ‘I have to stay with the car until it gets towed or whatever unless you want to stay.’ I said, ‘Can’t. I have to fly.’ He’s like, ‘Okay. Let me call one of my other people or whatever and they’ll come and they’ll take you.’ So, I was like, ‘Thank God.’ Cuz I tried to get an Uber, couldn’t get an Uber. So, I was like, ‘Yeah, I have to do this flight.’”
The ride itself was awkward because she had to sit in the back of the police car, which was a completely new experience for her.
“Then the other cop comes in. I move all my stuff out of the car… I hop into the—cuz I realized I’m like, ‘I can’t sit next to him. I have to sit in the back.’ The craziest feeling ever.”
Once inside, the officer told her she needed to wear the seat belt while riding with police, and the whole thing became even more awkward during the short drive. Vega said the five-minute ride felt much longer because of how uncomfortable the situation was.
“He puts me in the car and I’m sitting there and he’s like, ‘Yeah, sorry, this seat belt you have to wear while driving with a cop.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, yeah, I was just about to do that.’ We’re driving and it’s like the longest 5 minutes of my life… It was very awkward until I finally said, ‘Thank you again, like I really appreciate it cuz like, you know, if I wasn’t trying to get home to my family member, I swear like I would just stay with the car.’”
She also told the officer it was her first time in a police car, and he pointed out that was probably a good thing. The officer eventually got her to the airport, helped her with her luggage, and sent her on her way.
“And I’m like, ‘Yeah, this is very weird. I’ve never been in a cop car before.’ And he was like, ‘Well, that’s a good thing.’ He got me to the airport. He walked out like an Uber would. He helped me get my luggage out of his car, out of the trunk and everything, and he was like, ‘All right, have a safe flight. See you.’ I was like, ‘Five stars.’”
Vega said people were staring when she got out of the police car at the airport, which made her overthink whether running inside would make it look like she had been speeding to catch her flight.
“There was people looking at me, too… I got out and then I like ran because I was like, ‘I know that I—’ Yeah. Then I kind of fast-walked into a run and then I kind of slowed down real quick cuz I was like, ‘I don’t want them to think that I was rushing down the highway to get to the flight.’ So now I’m overthinking it.”
Vega’s story went from a scary crash to an awkward police ride in a matter of minutes. Thankfully, she walked away without injuries, but the rental car definitely didn’t survive the trip.
Do you think Zelina Vega handled the situation well after the crash, or would you have panicked trying to make that flight? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments.
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