Loose metal slices through Clayton woman's car hood while she was driving on I-40

CLAYTON, N.C. (WTVD) -- It was a very close call for one Clayton woman.

"It ripped through there and then it looked like it turned because like I said it was a square. One of the corners hit there and then it ricocheted up over," Jessica Auer said.

Auer says she was driving to work on Interstate 40 west when a piece of metal came flying at her car.

"So I kind of just did like a shield my face type of thing because it came right at me," Auer said.

The piece of metal went all the way through Auer's hood. After the terrifying experience, she says she can't help but notice all the trash on our highways.

"There's a whole front bumper on 40 that I've seen and just tires everywhere, piece of metal," Auer said.

We reached out to the DOT for answers. Because of the pandemic, they say they've lost about $300 million between April and June because of the lack of DMV revenues. They're now prioritizing safety maintenance like pot hole repairs and storm response. They're still picking up litter but at a reduced schedule.

"I really want it cleaned up. You go down 40 and it's disgusting," Auer said.

Fortunately, no one was hurt in this incident but Auer is urging people to make sure they do their part too.

"I'm hoping people will take more responsibly for strapping their things down. I'm sure that piece of metal that hit me came off of a truck," she said.

Fortunately, the insurance company says they will take care of the repairs to fix Auer's car.