You see this kind of stuff in action movies, and it’s always exciting to watch even if, deep down inside, you know it’s just a stunt made to look more impressive with CGI and handy camerawork.
This time, it happened in real life: a BMW was sent flying off the road, hitting the ceiling of a tunnel. It happened at the entrance of the Borik tunnel near Poprad, in Slovakia, and footage of it was posted on social media by the national police.
According to Policia Slovakia, the BMW was totaled. Not only was it sent flying through the air when the driver fell asleep and hit a ramp on the side of the road, but it also smashed against the ceiling, before being thrown into the tunnel.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash. The report doesn’t say if the structure of the tunnel was damaged in any way.
Surprisingly, the driver, a 44-year-old man whose identity hasn’t been made public yet, walked away largely unhurt. He suffered some cuts and bruises, but given the severity of the crash and the way the car ended up looking, it could have been much, much worse.
“The 44-year old driver was not injured, maybe a few bruises but no broken bones,” police say. Sobriety tests were performed both at the scene and at the hospital, but came back negative.
The driver likely experienced a “microsleep,” which can last anywhere between 1 and 30 seconds. Those few seconds he spaced out could have proved fatal, but will probably serve as a very expensive lesson for the man in the future.
They can also serve as a learning experience for all other drivers: if you must go out at night, make sure you’ve had proper rest beforehand. Driving at night is not without challenges, and dozing off shouldn’t be one of them.
According to Policia Slovakia, the BMW was totaled. Not only was it sent flying through the air when the driver fell asleep and hit a ramp on the side of the road, but it also smashed against the ceiling, before being thrown into the tunnel.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash. The report doesn’t say if the structure of the tunnel was damaged in any way.
Surprisingly, the driver, a 44-year-old man whose identity hasn’t been made public yet, walked away largely unhurt. He suffered some cuts and bruises, but given the severity of the crash and the way the car ended up looking, it could have been much, much worse.
“The 44-year old driver was not injured, maybe a few bruises but no broken bones,” police say. Sobriety tests were performed both at the scene and at the hospital, but came back negative.
The driver likely experienced a “microsleep,” which can last anywhere between 1 and 30 seconds. Those few seconds he spaced out could have proved fatal, but will probably serve as a very expensive lesson for the man in the future.
They can also serve as a learning experience for all other drivers: if you must go out at night, make sure you’ve had proper rest beforehand. Driving at night is not without challenges, and dozing off shouldn’t be one of them.