How did he survive? Horrifying moment: Semi-trailer crashes into sedan which explodes in fireball – but 55-year-old driver of car escapes with minor injuries
- Dramatic footage showed the truck rolling over the tailgate at the intersection
- The two vehicles collided in Steele County, Minnesota, after 5:30 a.m. Tuesday.
- Michael Vogel, 63, riding an international tractor, collided with the Impala of Kirk Ruzek, 55.
- Ruzek recalled how he somehow escaped through the window after the horror of the crash.
This is the horrific moment a tractor-trailer drives into a sedan which explodes in a massive fireball – before the car’s driver escapes unscathed.
Dramatic footage showed the truck tailgate at an intersection in Steele County, Minnesota, just after 5:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Michael Vogel, 63, in his 2020 International Tractor, crashed the Chevrolet Impala of Kirk Ruzek, 55, at the intersection of 44th Avenue and Highway 14 in Havana Township.
Ruzek said WTSP he was rushing to get to work and “didn’t see the semi” when it disappeared under the truck just before the tractor overturned and exploded.
The driver of the sedan said the impact of the crash blocked all of his car’s doors, forcing him to climb out of the window through broken glass.
Minnesota Department of Transportation cameras captured Kirk Ruzek, 55, in his Chevrolet Impala as he collided with a 2020 International tractor driven by Michael Vogel, 63, at the intersection of 44th Avenue and of Highway 14 in Havana Canton.
He also remembers two good Samaritans who stopped to help him just before help arrived on the scene.
“There’s a reason I’m still here. I talked to four people who saw the video and they said, “How come you’re walking?” And I left. I’m grateful to still be here,” Ruzek said.
According to the incident report, both drivers were wearing seat belts and no alcohol consumption was involved.
Immediately after the collision, the truck and car remained on the side of the road as other cars stopped towards the accident site.
The driver of the impala told WTSP, “I didn’t realize until it was too late that I was going to hit him.”
The driver of the sedan said the impact of the crash blocked all of his car doors, as he had to climb out of the vehicle’s window through piles of broken glass.
According to the incident report, both drivers were wearing seat belts and there was no alcohol involved.
“I don’t remember the fire, but I saw the video of it and the car burst into flames. So I was wondering why my left arm had soot from my hand to my shoulder. It was soot from the fire, but I wasn’t burned,” Ruzek said.
Both drivers were transported to Owatonna Hospital, where they suffered non-life threatening injuries.
Chevrolet Impalas are considered full-size cars and since 1985, they have been known as one of the most “iconic” cars in the automotive industry.
Compared to a tractor-trailer, which averages 72 feet long, an Impala measures just over 16 feet from bumper to bumper.