Car turns into fireball after its flattened by lorry – but driver escapes with minor injuries | US News

A driver made a miracle escape after his car was flattened before bursting into flames – as he was left with just minor injuries.

Dramatic footage shows a 72ft truck totally crumple a Chevy at an intersection in Steele County, Minnesota, just after 5.30 am on Tuesday.

Michael Vogel, 63, in his 2020 International Tractor crushed Kirk Ruzek’s Chevy Impala at the crossroads, leaving Ruzek’s car in a ball of flames.

Mr Ruzek, 55, told WTSP he was rushing to get to work and ‘didn’t see the semi’ as he vanished under the truck just before the tractor flipped over and blew up.

The Chevy driver said the crash jammed all of his doors shut and he had to climb out the window through broken glass.

He also recalled two good Samaritans who stopped to help him just before emergency services arrived on the scene.

Mr Ruzek said: ‘There’s a reason I’m still here. I’ve talked to four people who’ve seen the video and they said ‘How come you’re even walking?’ And I walked away.

‘I’m grateful I’m still here.’

According to the incident report, both drivers were wearing their seatbelts and no alcohol was involved. 

The lorry driver told WTSP: ‘I didn’t realize, not until it was too late that I am going to hit him.’

‘I don’t remember the fire, but I have seen the video from it and the car blew up in flames.

‘So I was wondering why my left arm had soot all the way up from my hand to my shoulder. That was soot from the fire, but I didn’t get burned.’

Both drivers were taken to Owatonna Hospital where they suffered non-life threatening injuries.

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