21-year-old man speaks out after surviving Long Beach bridge crash

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- A 21-year-old man feels lucky to be alive after surviving a horrific crash involving a wrong-way driver on the Gerald Desmond Bridge on Saturday.

The man did not disclose his name. He is still in the hospital in an immense amount of pain, and he required stitches on his head and both arms.

"The last picture I had in my head was this car plowing into the truck. It was very traumatizing," he said.

Authorities said 28-year-old Alvin Shaw was driving his Mercedes in the wrong direction on the bridge Saturday morning when he plowed into a pickup truck and white Ford Fusion. The pickup truck then burst into flames and the driver was killed.

The 21-year-old woke up in an ambulance as he was being rushed to Long Beach Memorial Hospital, which is also where he works.

He said he is trying to stay positive and is focusing on his dream of becoming a U.S. Marine.

"I'm supposed to be going to boot camp in January for the Marines and I honestly hope that any of these injuries don't affect my ship date," he said.

He isn't sure how long he will be in the hospital, but he hopes for a quick recovery to move forward with his career plans.