A gust of wind may have saved an elderly man from being hit by a car after it blew his hat off, forcing him to chase after it.
CCTV footage opens with the man, who is in his seventies, parking his tricycle beside a rubbish bin before climbing off to collect recyclable waste.
As he steps onto the road, a gust of wind sweeps his straw hat off his head.
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While he chases after it, an electric car comes hurtling down the road and smashes into the back of the parked tricycle, sending it shooting out of the camera’s view.
Seemingly unaware of the crash, the man continues chasing his hat before picking it up moments later.
Both the tricycle rider and the car driver escaped completely uninjured, although the tricycle was badly damaged.
The near-miss happened in Shangqiu, in central China’s Henan Province, on 17 July, as reported by Need To Know.
One witness told local media: “Our hearts were in our mouths. It’s terrifying to think what could have happened.
“Had he taken just one step later, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Thankfully, he wasn’t on the tricycle when it was hit.”
Another added: “That gust of wind saved two families.”
After the crash, relatives of the car driver arrived at the scene, agreed to pay for the repairs to the tricycle and escorted the elderly man home safely.
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