An accident that took place late May 2018 in Conroe, Texas, saw an out-of-control Honda CR-V smash into two stationary vehicles occupying the freeway shoulder.
Even though we don’t know what caused the crash, we’re all aware of the dangers faced by motorists who pull over on the shoulder, for whatever reason. Ideally, you’re supposed to be able to stop and fix issues such as flat tires, or perhaps wait for a tow truck if you’re unable to repair the car yourself.
The thing is, you’re still in a vulnerable position, especially if someone loses it or is distracted and, thus, unable to stop in time. Besides, an emergency warning triangle can only do so much.
Here’s what happened, in the words of the person who submitted the dashcam footage:
“A motorist pulled onto the shoulder of I-45 in to change a flat tire during the morning rush hour. While waiting for assistance, the motorist of the disabled vehicle was sitting on the concrete barrier next to his vehicle. An out of control vehicle came crashing into the rear of the disabled vehicle pushing it back onto the freeway. Luckily the stranded motorist was able to jump out of the way at the last second narrowly avoiding being crushed in the collision. The vehicle who rear-ended the stranded motorist continued on down the shoulder to rear-end another motorist who had stopped to help the stranded motorist.”
The fact that it was rush hour could indicate that perhaps the person driving the CR-V was in a hurry and attempted to overtake all first lane vehicles by climbing on the shoulder, unaware there were multiple stationary cars there.
It’s a good thing nobody was currently working on fixing that flat tire at the moment of impact – and close to a miracle that no one was hurt in the double crash.