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Footage circulating online shows a crash on Interstate 10 in El Paso, Texas, that serves as a reminder of how quickly things can go wrong at highway speeds.
Video shared by FitFam El Paso appears to show a red Mini Cooper weaving through traffic and changing lanes several times. At one point, the vehicle appears to travel along the shoulder before merging back into traffic. Moments later, the Mini moves across lanes and collides with a semi-trailer.
The impact sends the small hatchback underneath the trailer, creating the kind of crash scene that typically leaves viewers fearing the worst. In the footage, the Mini becomes lodged beneath the trailer as surrounding traffic slows.
For some car enthusiasts, the video may bring back memories of 2 Fast 2 Furious, which featured one of the franchise’s most memorable crashes involving a red Saleen Mustang and a semi-trailer.
What Authorities Said About the Crash
According to KFOX14, El Paso police and fire crews responded to a collision on I-10 East near the Hawkins exit around 11 a.m. Sunday. Traffic cameras showed emergency vehicles blocking lanes while crews worked the scene, and backups quickly formed along the interstate.
Fortunately, the outcome appears to have been far less severe than many would expect from the video. The El Paso Fire Department told KFOX14 that one person was injured in the collision, but the injuries were described as minor.
Officials initially responded to reports of a traffic accident and medical emergency near Exit 26. By shortly before noon, TxDOT reported that all lanes had reopened and traffic was beginning to return to normal.
While investigators have not released additional details about what may have led up to the crash, the combination of dramatic footage and relatively minor reported injuries has helped the video gain attention online.
Viewers Had the Same Movie in Mind
Apparently, we were not the only ones getting Fast & Furious vibes from the footage. The comment section quickly filled with references to the franchise, along with a few nods to The Italian Job, which is probably inevitable anytime a Mini Cooper becomes the star of an unusual driving video.
One commenter joked that the driver had tried to pull a “Fast n Furious stunt,” while another went straight for one of the franchise’s most recognizable car-guy references: “He was granny shifting and not double clutching like he should.” Another viewer simply wrote, “This isn’t the Italian job !”
Behind the movie jokes, however, many commenters focused on how fortunate the outcome was. Others pointed out that having the incident captured on video could be important for establishing what happened before the collision. One viewer wrote, “This video is going to save that truck driver’s job, and also the company a lot of money.”
There was also plenty of criticism directed at the Mini Cooper’s driving before the crash. One commenter summed up that reaction with, “The audacity to drive like that on I-10 in a GoKart.” Considering the Mini ultimately ended up underneath a semi-trailer, the fact that authorities reported only minor injuries makes the ending considerably better than the footage initially suggests.