Poor soul. Screenshot: @Anoop_Khatra (Twitter)
There’s nothing that makes you appreciate advances in car safety technology like a horrific accident that has everyone running away from it. Case in point: this shocking incident where a Kia Soul was launched into the air and rolled onto its roof, all because of a rogue truck wheel.
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The accident, first reported by Motor1, happened on a section of the 118 Freeway near Los Angeles, California on Friday. In the incident, a black Kia Soul was preparing to pass a white Chevrolet Silverado pickup.
Just as the Kia was queuing for the pass, the Chevy’s left front wheel came off. The Kia then hit the wheel and was thrown into the air. In video of the crash, captured by cameras from a following Tesla, the car flies well over the roofline of the passing Chevy, meaning it’s at least six feet in the air — likely a lot more than the truck was in the air Video appears to be suspended.
After reaching this height, the car tips over on its hood before rebounding onto its now-crumpled wheels.
The Kia then grinds to a halt before the runaway wheel that caused the incident snaps back into the frame and hits the car again. Meanwhile, the truck slowly comes to a standstill at the side of the road. All of this happens in a matter of seconds.
The whole crash was recorded and shared by user @Anoop_Khatra on Twitter. After sharing the footage, they revealed, “Surprisingly, the Kia’s driver actually escaped unharmed.”
Despite this comforting revelation, there are few details on how the whole thing happened in the first place. It definitely looks like an aftermarket modification, and some Twitter users have suggested it was probably a spacer or lug nut that failed and exposed the truck’s wheel.