Highway 401 driver narrowly escapes death after wheel smashes into their windshield

A driver and two passengers who were travelling in a sedan along Highway 401 in Toronto are lucky to be alive today after a wheel flew off a nearby car and smashed through their front windshield.

News of the harrowing incident was shared to X by the Ontario Provincial Police on Monday afternoon, and though the photos of the damage are absolutely terrifying, officers wrote that the occupants somehow walked away with only minor injuries.

According to the tweet, the grey Mazda pictured had been travelling westbound on the thoroughfare and was near the Victoria Park exit in Scarborough when it was randomly struck by the loose tire.

Wheel off: Passenger vehicle traveling EB on #Hwy401/Victoria Park.
Wheel seperated and struck another vehicle on the WB side of the highway. The three occupants in the vehicle, (pictured) suffered only minor injuries. The other driver charged with detached part. #TorontoOPP^ks pic.twitter.com/6MmOHcVRhx

— OPP Highway Safety Division (@OPP_HSD) March 11, 2024

The driver of the passenger vehicle from which the tire came, who was actually on the complete opposite side of the highway heading eastbound, was charged with "detached part."

As many online marvelled at the substantial damage caused by the accident and wondered how horrifying it would have been to experience, others reminded motorists to always check their lug nuts after a tire changeover — something many are doing now that there is little hope for more snow this season.