BRADENTON, Fla. — I-75 near Fowler Road is open again after Tuesday's fatal crash, but for survivors of the crash, the recovery has only begun. 

RELATED STORIES:

"When you're sitting on the side of the road and bleeding and your wife's going off in a helicopter, it becomes real very, very quickly," said accident survivor Frank Herold. 

Herold has stitches from almost ear to ear and two black eyes. Regardless of the injuries, he says he’s grateful to be home. 

"We were surprised how we got out of there with as little injury as we have," he explained.

Herold and his wife were on their way home to Bradenton on I-75 in the southbound lanes. That's when he says everything happened very quickly. 

"I don't really remember seeing it coming at us," Herold said. "My wife says I said 'oh crap,' and veered off the road, and it hit us and somehow I got the car stopped." 

A piece of the tractor trailer, which had been traveling in the northbound lanes, hit Herold's car so hard it caused the roof to cave in and the front window of the car to shatter. 

In the wake of the crash Herold's wife was airlifted to Tampa General, while he was transported by ambulance. 

"You think there's someone looking over you? Oh yeah, God decided we werent ready to go yet, otherwise we wouldnt be here." Herold told us.

Before being taken to the hospital, a Good Samaritan offered to take the couple's belongings out of their totaled car. However, amidst the chaos in the hospital Herold said they lost that person's contact information.

They are hopeful they can eventually track the Good Samaritan down. If not, they are simply thankful to be alive.