Two women cheated death after a bouncing WHEEL from a passing vehicle shattered their car windscreen – in the fast lane of a busy motorway.
Lucky Jessica East, 21, and Holly Williams, 22, recoiled in horror when the wheel careered over the central reservation of the M5 into the path of their Volkswagen Golf.
It struck and shattered the windscreen of the vehicle – travelling at 70mph – before rebounding down the carriageway.
Remarkably, cool-headed driver Jessica managed to pull the vehicle across two lanes of busy traffic onto the hard shoulder – despite being showered with sharp shards of glass.
The pair emerged bloodied but unhurt from the crash, along with Holly’s young son and Jessica’s nephew – both completely uninjured – who had been strapped in the back seat.
Bed saleswoman Jessica, whose car was written off in the smash, said yesterday (thurs): ”It was a miracle escape. We could have been killed – it was really, really scary.
”I’m sure something like this doesn’t happen very often, but it could have been fatal.
”We have been so lucky and I’ve been quite emotional and have cried thinking about what could have happened.
”It doesn’t bear thinking about, but makes you realise how lucky you are.”
Jessica, with nephew Max, five, and Holly, with son Ryan, three, were travelling to the beach to enjoy the scorching weather when disaster struck.
They were driving southbound on the M5, between Taunton and Wellington in Somerset, when the heavy tyre skipped over the central reservation.
The shocked pair had no idea whether it came off, or out of, a passing vehicle – and were given little time to react.
Stunned Jessica said: ”It all happened so quickly. We were driving along when we saw this wheel heading towards us.
”I’d hoped it would pass us by, but when it hit us it was just crazy. We were in the fast lane so there was no escaping it.
”I had to pull across two lanes of traffic to get on to the hard shoulder.”
The pair managed to safely scramble out of the car with the children – but both were left with blood streaming down their faces.
However, after being treated for superficial cuts by paramedics on the scene, they were allowed to go home without any serious injury.
Jessica added: ”I’m just thankful were came out of it alive – it could have been a lot worse.”
The bed saleswoman, from Taunton, Somerset, has now called on motorists to double check that tyres or luggage they are carrying are fastened tightly.
Avon and Somerset Police confirmed they had no idea where the tyre had come from.
A spokesman said: ”It is likely the driver of the other vehicle did not even realise the tyre had come out of their car.”
They appealed for any witnesses to the dangerous collision to come forward.
The shocked pair had no idea whether it came off, or out of, a passing vehicle.