CINCINNATI -- A Kentucky man who survived last week's bridge collapse in Minnesota recounted his experience, reported WLWT-TV in Cincinnati.

Brian Sturgill, 25, said he was in Minneapolis for a business trip and was on his way to see a Twins game when the Interstate 35W bridge crumbled beneath him.

"I saw, right in front of me, the road just crack and, initially, I didn't start to fall," he said. "I remember seeing chunks of concrete fall by me."

After falling 60 feet, the car came down on the remains of the bridge in the river.

"Finally, my car stopped,and I looked around and realized I was in the river (and) could see water coming up the backside of my car," Sturgill said. "That's when I really started to panic (and) started thinking, 'Oh my God, I might die.'"

Sturgill said he managed to free himself as his car sank, and he helped rescue three other people.

"I found a splintered 2 by 4 and was able to reach that and help (a trapped man) get across the channel," he said.

Despite the plunge, Sturgill said he suffers only minor back pain.

"It's definitely made me mindful of what's really important in life," he said.