It’s every driver’s worst nightmare: You’re cruising down the highway when a semi-truck suddenly veers, and in a split second, your world turns upside down.
That nightmare became reality for two women on Interstate 75 in Florida. Without warning, an oversized trailer broke loose, slammed into their Subaru Forester, and rode over the top of their SUV — leaving a trail of mangled metal and stunned witnesses in its wake.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, as reported by 10 Tampa Bay, the crash happened Saturday morning near Wesley Chapel after part of an oversized tractor-trailer unexpectedly swung into the center lane during a lane change.
Astonishingly, although the Subaru was crushed almost flat beneath the massive trailer, both women climbed out alive — an outcome that emergency crews and bystanders are calling nothing short of miraculous.
An Oversized Trailer Suddenly Broke Loose
Florida Highway Patrol said a 36-year-old Kansas man was driving a tractor-trailer hauling two oversized trailers northbound on I-75 around 9:52 a.m.
Investigators say a helper vehicle traveling with the oversized load unlocked the rear trailer to assist with a lane change. Instead, the rear trailer swung into the center lane and struck a Subaru Forester carrying two women from Georgia.
The detached trailer, carrying an empty evaporator tank, then rode over the roof of the SUV before both vehicles came to a stop, blocking every northbound lane of Interstate 75.
Photos Show Why So Many Drivers Are Calling It a Miracle
Emergency crews transported the 23-year-old driver and her 22-year-old passenger to a nearby hospital with only minor injuries.
Photos from the crash show the Subaru severely crushed beneath the oversized trailer, leaving many people online saying they couldn’t believe anyone survived.
Others pointed to the wreck as a reminder of why they avoid driving alongside large trucks whenever possible.
- 10 Tampa Bay News
Florida Highway Patrol Continues Investigating
The crash shut down all northbound lanes of Interstate 75 for nearly two hours while crews removed the damaged vehicles and cleared the roadway.
The Florida Highway Patrol has not announced whether the driver of the helper vehicle will face any charges. Investigators continue working to determine exactly how the oversized trailer became detached during the lane change.
For the two women inside the Subaru, however, what could have been a catastrophic crash ended with a remarkable escape.