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A driver narrowly escaped a terrifying crash Thursday after unsecured metal pipes from a nearby pickup truck pierced through the back of the driver’s sedan on a Southern California highway.
The incident occurred on a highway in Orange County when a white pickup truck carrying the cargo collided with a gray sedan, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) Santa Ana Area Office said Thursday.
“After investigation, it was determined the white pickup truck loaded with metal pipes crashed into the gray sedan,” CHP Santa Ana said in a statement.
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Metal pipes protrude from the shattered rear window of a gray sedan following a two-vehicle collision in Orange County, California, on July 16, 2026. (California Highway Patrol (CHP) Santa Ana Area Office )
“After the initial impact, the unsecured metal pipes from the pickup truck were propelled forward, into the sedan, and through the sedan’s rear window.”
Photos released by the agency showed the gray sedan with at least six long metal pipes lodged through the shattered rear windshield, narrowly missing the driver’s side of the vehicle.
Officials said the driver thankfully escaped the two-vehicle crash with only minor injuries.
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A white pickup truck and the interior of a damaged sedan are shown after the loose pipes narrowly missed the driver in Orange County, California, on July 16, 2026. (California Highway Patrol (CHP) Santa Ana Area Office )
CHP used the incident as a warning to motorists about the dangers of unsecured cargo, noting that road debris contributes to hundreds of deaths nationwide each year.
“Unsecured cargo causes crashes every year, leading to hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries nationwide,” the agency said. “When a load isn’t properly secured, everyone on the road is at risk.”
Unsecured cargo from a nearby pickup truck impales a vehicle along a Southern California freeway in Orange County, California, on July 16, 2026. (California Highway Patrol (CHP) Santa Ana Area Office )
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The agency reminded drivers to properly secure all cargo before hitting the road, using equipment such as ropes, netting, bungee cords or straps. Officials also advised motorists to use sturdy tarps or covers to prevent debris from falling out and to avoid overloading vehicles.
According to data released last year by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, road debris was a contributing factor in roughly 53,000 crashes annually between 2018 and 2023. Those crashes resulted in an average of about 5,500 injuries and 72 deaths each year.