Admittedly, I’m a big fan of Forza Horizon 5. A video game where I can launch my car across an undulating landscape is just the perfect platform for endless hours of entertainment. However, I could never conceive of doing anything from that carefree virtual space to our real world of broken bones and vehicular damage. Recent footage from Michigan shows a dramatic crash ripped straight from the Horizon’s digital playground, except the damage isn’t superficial.
The airborne incident occurred in Dorr, Michigan on US-131, 17 miles south of Grand Rapids. A surveillance camera at a nearby business, Huizinga Rebuilding and Truck Parts Inc., luckily caught the most spectacular (or horrifying) portion of the crash. Eyewitness accounts given to local TV affiliates and the Michigan State Police filled in the gaps not seen in the video.
According to those accounts, a black Chevrolet Impala left the highway just after the off-ramp for Exit 68. The Impala then launched off the earthen embankment for an overpass. The sedan flew over the three-lane roadway and landed hard on the opposite side. Everything forward of the Impala’s front crash structure was gone. The bumper, grille and headlights were obliterated.
The 25-year-old male driver from Kalamazoo escaped the wreckage by crawling out of the sedan’s rear window. Mike Rodriguez, an eyewitness, told News 8 that the driver only had a cut above an eye after the crash. Rodriguez also said, “How he walked away from this and survived it. I mean, somebody was definitely watching out over him.” State police believe that the driver was drunk and stated that he had a suspended license and prior drunk driving and drug convictions.
The Michigan State Police also shared a video of the crash on Twitter set to the theme from The Dukes of Hazzard. The tweet even opened with the hashtag #DukesOfDorr. While I’m glad that the driver is off the road, this is a completely unprofessional way to communicate the dangers of driving while intoxicated.
Crashes like this are not only dangerous for the driver and passengers, but also people in other vehicles and pedestrians. EchoingMike Rodriguez’s sentiment, it’s extremely lucky that no one was seriously injured.
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