Driver Escapes Vehicle With No Brakes Before it Caught Fire

It looked like a sight from a movie, and the ending is incredible.

Get our free mobile app

NOT a movie, but a terrifying real-life dangerous situation for one motorist turned into a life-saving moment for the lucky driver. The unbelievable incident happened on westbound I-82. As the woman was traveling, she noticed the vehicle wasn't driving right. As she pumped the brakes, she quickly realized they weren't working.

How did she get the vehicle to stop?

The woman was able to drift off the road in the vehicle just west of the Toppenish exit. As the vehicle made its way down the embankment, the woman was able to jump out of the car before it came to rest, igniting the area brush into flames.

I cannot imagine the adrenaline this woman must have experienced. An unbelievable nightmare, realizing you have no brakes. I wonder what went through this heroic woman's mind. Seeing this posted on Twitter from WSP Trooper Chris Thorson will definitely have me brake checking more often. I'm happy the driver is ok.

What should you do if you discover your brakes aren't working? [Howcast]

Stay calm. Pull over to the side of the road and pump the brakes. Shift to a lower gear and then apply the emergency brake. That's why it's there. For more details, check out How to stop a car with no brakes, courtesy of wikiHow.com.

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

Gallery Credit: Sophia Crisafulli

LOOK: Route 66’s quirkiest and most wonderful attractions state by state

Stacker compiled a list of 50 attractions--state by state--to see along the drive, drawing on information from historic sites, news stories, Roadside America, and the National Park Service. Keep reading to discover where travelers can get their kicks on Route 66.

Gallery Credit: Kery Wiginton