Gravel Truck Flattens Nearby Volkswagen

Witnesses who saw a gravel truck tip over and flatten a Volkswagen held out little hope the driver of the smaller vehicle had survived.

After all, his car had been pancaked. It stood only about two feet after the accident, which occurred in the Hunan Province of China. And at least one ton of gravel, the truck's entire load, had spilled on top of the VW. At least an hour passed before rescuers could even find a crane to access the crushed car – the first one they summoned couldn't hoist the load.

Rescuers instead began digging through the rubble with their bare hands. When they finally reached the car's roof, instead of finding a gruesome tragedy, they found a miracle.

The car's driver had improbably survived the accident. The Sun reported he suffered multiple broken bones, but his injuries were otherwise not considered life threatening. The driver's name has not been released.

While no car would fare very well after having a ton of gravel dumped on it, it is important that drivers and passengers come out of such mis-haps as unscathed as possible. Take a look here at a recent gallery we did for you explaining some of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Top Safety Picks.