Watch As a Runaway Truck Wheel Demolishes an Oncoming Car
Nobody died or was even seriously injured.
We've covered all sorts of scary accidents involving tractor-trailer trucks losing cargo and driving too fast, but we don't come across accidents like this very often. In a video posted to the Catastrophic Failure sub-Reddit, we see a very dangerous incident on a Chinese highway that ends with a small car nearly being completely compacted by a freely bouncing truck tire.
The events in the video, taken from a CCTV highway camera, took place in the Chinese city of Guangzhou on December 20th. One of the most frightening things about the video is that the wheel appears to have rolled safely off the highway, only to come bouncing back onto the road. Even at what appears to be a very low speed, the wheel is big and heavy enough to completely demolish the small sedan it falls on.
The video is a terrifying reminder of how dangerous loose truck tires can be for other people on the road. Truck drivers are supposed to do a daily walkaround to ensure that lug nuts and other equipment are in place and clear of rust or other damage that could cause them to loosen or fall off during operation, but there is still an alarming number of accidents involving truck tires and wheels. Earlier this year, a Maine State Police officer was killed when wheels came off of a logging truck, and there are several other stories where a runaway wheel or tire wreaks major havoc on busy motorways.
Looking at the mangled post-impact vehicle, it's amazing to hear that the driver walked away with only minor scratches. The accident is still under investigation, but we're happy to hear that no other injuries have been reported.
