Horrific footage captured a dump truck in Ohio falling into another vehicle parked on the shoulder of a busy highway and causing an explosion.
The incident happened on I-77 in Akron just after 7:20 a.m. Thursday, when an Ohio Department of Transportation vehicle pulled over to collect some garbage from the road.
Footage shows the unidentified ODOT employee was still sitting inside the car when a dump truck veered off its lane and collided with a parked vehicle without stopping.
The impact produced an explosion and engulfed both vehicles in a ball of fire, shooting orange flames and thick black smoke into the morning sky.
News 5 Cleveland reported that half a dozen motorists stopped to help the victims.
Representatives from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office who were called to the scene had to evacuate the drivers of both vehicles.
During a press conference held in front of the scorched rubble, ODOT District 4 Deputy Gerry Noirott described the injured employee as a married father and grandfather, and said it was “no less than a miracle that he survived. ”
Noirot said the injured man has been with the department for a decade and was on his way to pick up equipment at the time of the accident.
“It was horrifying to see that accident. And to think that he survived it … someone was clearly watching him, ”Noirot told reporters.
ODOT released a statement on its Facebook page on Thursday, revealing that the morning’s crash marked the 82nd time that a crew has been killed so far this year.
“We are extremely fortunate that he is alive,” the agency said of its injured driver.