Russian driver's foolhardy overtaking dash ends in ditch

A Russian driver rolled his van to avoid slamming into an oncoming truck after attempting an impossible overtake manoeuvre.

The 25-year-old driver of a Volkswagen minivan was travelling between the Russian cities of Chelyabinsk and Triostk on Saturday when he made the reckless decision to overtake a truck and two cars.

The motorist put his foot to the floor to zoom past the vehicles with only seconds to spare.

As the gap narrows a female passenger screams out as a head-on smash with the truck appears imminent.

The VW driver then veers off to the shoulder to dodge the vehicle, only to be followed over by the truck in an unwitting game of chicken.

At the last second the truck turns back to the road while the VW darts to the other side and is sent barrel rolling into a ditch.

Five people in the van were injured, including the driver, with four taken to hospital.

Alcohol was not a factor in the crash.

Source: Region-uu.ru
Author: Nicholas McCallum, Approving editor: Martin Zavan