Folks, it's time for a reminder about the stupidity of street racing. Indulging in such antics on public roads is never a good idea, but driving onto the shoulder of a busy California highway during rush hour? There's no way that ends well.
And you know what? It didn't end well for the Nissan 350Z driver in this video. Posted recently by ViralHog, the accident crash occurred on June 29 in El Sobrante, California. That's a suburb of Oakland north of town, and through the magic of Google Maps, we can tell you the crash happened precisely on westbound I-80 just past the Solano Avenue overpass. Provided the GPS data on the dash cam video is accurate, we can also say it occurred at 5:38 pm local time – right in the middle of rush hour.
The video starts with the camera car approaching the overpass. A few seconds later we see a sports car flash past on the right shoulder, but it's already too late. The driver lost control, and as the car slides back onto the highway we see the unmistakable profile of a 350Z, narrowly missing three cars while spinning across four lanes of traffic. That's when the second car comes flying into view on the left, and it's also easily identified thanks to its distinctive black roof, rear fascia, and black wheels. That's Toyota Camry TRD packing 301 horsepower from its 3.5-liter V6 engine.
Gallery: Toyota Camry TRD
According to the video description, the two cars were racing. Whether that means a contest of speed or some kind of nefarious chase, it's impossible to say. It also doesn't matter, because the Nissan smacked the inside barrier hard enough to flip onto its roof, shedding parts all across the highway while sliding back into traffic. Considering the time of day, it's fortunate there weren't more cars on the road, and from what we can see in the video, damage was limited to just the 350Z. The camera car continued on, with the video ending shortly after passing the carnage.
As for the Nissan's driver, we have no word on injuries or if there was a passenger in the car. The video description says the driver ran away from the scene, so if there were injuries, apparently they weren't too bad. As for the driver in the Camry, there's no word on what happened there, either.
This melee could've ended so much worse. Friends, stay safe out there, and if you feel the need for speed, work those issues out at the track.
