CHP Investigating Viral Accident That Sent Car Flying Into the Air

California Highway Patrol is investigating a video that went incredibly viral this past week. The footage showcases a Chevrolet Silverado truck losing the front wheel. The front wheel would then proceed to roll across the highway in front of a Kia where it would create quite a dramatic scene.

As the Kia driver didn’t have time to react to the rolling wheel, the car would hit the debris and go airborne. It wasn’t just a bump, either, as it seems as if the car was launched about 10 feet into the air. Miraculously, the driver behind the wheel of the Kia only complained of minor pain following the hard crash back down to the ground as the Kia landed on its roof. Authorities say that things didn’t get more serious because the driver was wearing their seatbelt and it paid dividends. Anyone watching this video probably would’ve assumed that the driver would’ve been pretty banged up but that just wasn’t the case.

Nonetheless, CHP has been digging into the situation, attempting to determine why exactly the wheel did come off of the truck. Some of the questions that they are trying to answer are if the truck was modified and how recently it had been serviced, attempting to get to the bottom of the cause of the accident.

As far as the truck driver goes, initially, some viewers had thought that when the truck lost a wheel, the driver attempted to flee the scene of the accident. However, the 24-year-old who did pull over to the side of the road after the incident is unlikely to face any criminal charges.

The CHP took the opportunity to remind motorists that, while a projectile wheel is a rare hazard, a clip like this shows just how quickly something can happen on the highway and why you should have your full attention on the road.