On Thursday, a Kia Soul was involved in an accident in Los Angeles, sending the hatchback flying into the air over the 118 Freeway. Fortunately, the driver survived the accident unscathed, and while the car’s landing wasn’t exactly heavenly, some may see it as a stroke of luck.
Anoop Khatra, who was driving his Tesla at a distance behind the Kia, witnessed the incident and managed to capture the car’s incredible aerial maneuvers on his dash camera.
In the footage, the Kia can be seen speeding along the left lane, with a high-clearance silver pickup signaling a lane change into the lane beside it.
As the black Kia approached the silver pickup, the unexpected happened: the front left wheel of the truck suddenly came off and rolled right in front of the hatchback.
The pickup then crashed onto its driver’s side rim, while the Kia and its driver were launched at least 10 feet into the air by the loose tire, which somehow managed to remain upright and spinning.
The Kia was airborne for around three seconds, rotating clockwise before crashing nose-first and upside down onto the freeway. It then made one more longitudinal roll before coming to a stop.
As if that wasn’t enough, the tire from the truck responsible for launching the Kia caught up with the wreck and hit it from behind.
In the aftermath, debris and shattered glass littered the scene as the pickup made its way to the other side of the freeway.
“Surprisingly the driver of the Kia was actually able to walk away from this unharmed.” tweeted Khatra
According to a tweet from Khatra, “Surprisingly the driver of the Kia was actually able to walk away from this unharmed.”
The Telegraph reported that the Los Angeles Police Department also confirmed that there were no serious injuries resulting from the accident.
KABC-TV suggested that the tire’s detachment from the pickup truck was due to sheared-off lug nuts.
