Las Vegas woman demands answers after rock-throwing attack on I-11 leaves her seriously injured

A routine 300-mile trip from Arizona turned into a nightmare for Las Vegas resident Amy Loafea when rocks thrown from a pedestrian bridge crashed through her windshield, leaving her bloodied and believing she had been shot.

The terrifying attack

On Sunday evening, August 10, as Loafea approached Las Vegas after visiting her daughter in Phoenix, a loud bang shattered her peaceful drive home. Blood immediately began streaming from her arm, and in her shock, she thought she had been shot by a passing truck.

“I felt something, and blood was going everywhere,” Loafea told 8 News Now. “I initially thought I was gunshot.”

The attack occurred on northbound I-11 near the Wagon Wheel Drive exit, just north of Railroad Pass Casino in Henderson. Nevada State Police responded to multiple calls from injured drivers, with rocks hitting at least four vehicles and causing moderate to severe damage.

Roadside terror and survival calls

After pulling over and calling 911, Loafea lay in the gravel alongside the freeway, bleeding and making what she feared might be final calls to family members. It was only after being taken to Sunrise Hospital that she discovered the true cause of her injuries.

“I recall looking down at the floorboard the passenger side, and the boulder was laying on the floor,” she said. “I’m thinking it fell from the mountain top and just freak accident.”

But this was no accident. Nevada State Police believe suspects deliberately threw the rocks from a nearby pedestrian overpass before fleeing the scene.

Infrastructure concerns exposed

Following her release from the hospital, Loafea has become an advocate for safer bridge design, pointing to dangerous gaps in the pedestrian bridge that allowed the attack to occur.

“Why is it okay that someone could physically, even have the ability to throw anything?” she questioned, expressing frustration with the current infrastructure.

An 8 News Now investigation of the pedestrian bridge off Dawson Avenue confirmed the presence of gaps over the freeway that could allow objects to be thrown onto traffic below. Loafea is calling for additional fencing to protect the thousands of drivers who pass beneath the bridge daily.

Bureaucratic finger-pointing

When media outlets reached out for answers about the bridge’s design flaws, they encountered a frustrating runaround. The Nevada Department of Transportation directed inquiries to the City of Henderson, which had not responded to requests for comment as of Tuesday.

“How is somebody able to just physically throw something from that to hurt innocent people driving along on the freeway, like how? Why is that?” Loafea asked, expressing anger at the lack of accountability.

Financial and emotional toll

Beyond her physical injuries, which include bruises on her upper body and face along with her arm injury, Loafea faces mounting financial burdens. She must pay $662 to recover her damaged vehicle from impound and navigate complex insurance claims—all for an attack she had no part in causing.

“This wasn’t just caused by a mistake I made, or something that I’m paying the price,” she said. “Someone did this to me, they made a choice.”

The emotional impact runs deep. “I’m angry, I’m sad. You don’t ask for these things to happen. They just happen to you. I’m hurt,” Loafea shared.

Multiple victims, no arrests

Loafea was one of two drivers who sustained serious injuries requiring hospitalization Sunday night. Four vehicles in total suffered damage from the rock-throwing attack. Despite the severity of the incident, Nevada State Police confirmed Tuesday that no arrests had been made.

The suspects face potential charges ranging from misdemeanor property damage to felony battery with a deadly weapon, depending on the circumstances and evidence gathered.

Call for accountability

Despite her trauma, Loafea has a clear message for those responsible for the attack:

“I don’t care what age you are, whether you’re 10, 11, 12, or a grown adult. When you physically hurt a human being, I think you take it to another level. I hope that the person that did this to me and to whoever else was injured, physically injured, is caught and held accountable.”

Ongoing investigation

Nevada State Police, working with Henderson Police Department, continue to investigate the incident. They urge anyone with information about the rock-throwing attack to come forward.

The case highlights broader concerns about infrastructure safety and the vulnerability of drivers to attacks from overhead bridges. As Loafea recovers from her injuries, she hopes her experience will lead to both justice for the victims and preventive measures to ensure such attacks cannot happen again.

“Most bridges that I know of, they’re concerned that people jumping from it, committing suicide, understood. But what about protecting the people who are going underneath it and driving?” she asked, calling for a comprehensive approach to bridge safety that considers all potential dangers.

Image Sources: https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/las-vegas-driver-injured-from-rock-throwing-has-message-for-alleged-attacker/

Category: Breaking News
Subcategory: Crime & Safety
Date: 08/13/2025