Dashcam footage captures the gut-wrenching moment a giant lorry swerves across four motorway lanes and mangles a van against the central reservation.
Danny Walsh and fellow tradie Rick Webster were left shocked and angry after the HGV crossed into their lane without indicating as they drove to work from Manchester along the M62 near Bradford, West Yorkshire, last month.
But anger turned to fear when the lorry continued to drift across until it crushed the front of their van and dragged the two pals along the central reservation before 'driving away'.
The dramatic video shows Danny, 53, move to the outside lane to avoid a collision before the pair realise they are being trapped by the much larger vehicle.
Less than two seconds later, the front of the van's passenger side is crumpled by the lorry's impact - slamming them against the central reservation as it continues down the busy motorway.
The lorry then appears to straighten up and 'flee the scene' to leave joiner Danny and 49-year-old Rick stranded and exposed to the busy morning traffic behind.
The lorry belongs to British distribution giants Bunzl, who confirmed the driver has been suspended while they are investigating the incident, with their inquiries including medical reports on the driver.
Meanwhile, dad-of-two Danny claims the pair were 'a few metres from death' and it was only his natural reaction to brake that stopped the whole van being crushed and thrown over the barrier.
Danny firmly believes that if they had been in a hatchback rather than his Vauxhall Vivaro the pair 'wouldn't have stood a chance'.
Danny's video was posted to Facebook where it provoked a steady stream of comments from shocked viewers.
Danny, from Eastlands, Manchester, said: "We were a few metres and a split second away from being crushed. It could have been a whole lot different. We're lucky.
"At first we just thought 'look at this to***r, not indicating', and we thought he just wanted to come into that lane but then he started coming out again and again.
"Before we know it there's nowhere else to go. People say you see your life flashes before your eyes but we didn't have time for that. We just thought 'oh sh*t'.
"An HGV driver said if we didn't slam on, we would have been caught between the cab and trailer. He said the lorry would have crushed us, flipped us over and threw us into the other carriageway.
"We could have been killed. If we were in a car we wouldn't have stood a chance. It's a lucky escape. It was just natural instinct to slam on.
"It was one of those split second moments you don't have much control over. We were trapped and just hoped for the best. It was scary."
Danny added: "He must have dragged us 60 yards along the central reservation then he just drove off.
"We were scared somebody would run into the back of us. We couldn't see in the mirrors because they were ripped off and Rick had to boot the door open.
"People didn't want to stop but we got across to safety. I was really shaken up at that point. At first the adrenaline is pumping but when it slows down you're a bit of a mess. I was shaking.
"The car's a complete right off. The front end looked like a tan opener had cut right through it. The bumper's ripped off and all the driver's side was crushed against the central reservation."
The pair stopped traffic to get themselves to safety before going to hospital for a check-over and picking up another van to make it into work.
Rick, also a dad-of-two, says he thought of his family during the moment of impact.
Rick, from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, said: "If you think about it too much, it can keep you awake at night.
"People keep telling me we're lucky and someone must have been looking after us that day. I feel unlucky that it happened but lucky we survived it.
"When it first hit us the glass blew in the quarter window and that made me more startled. We realised he was carrying on coming. I thought 'this could be it'.
"It scared the life out of me. It was just sheer panic.
"I thought of my family and I didn't know I was going to get out alive. When we stopped I was really frightened we were going to get run over.
"I've had a couple of sleepless nights but we've got to get on with it."
Rachel Webster posted the video on Facebook to call for witnesses and it's since been shared 75 times, attracting almost 100 comments from users stunned by the incident.
Bunzl confirmed the driver had been suspended while they investigate the incident and said the investigation includes medical reports on the driver.
A Bunzl spokesperson said: "We are aware of an incident involving a Bunzl vehicle. We take road safety seriously and the incident is currently being investigated."
West Yorkshire Police confirmed an incident involving four vehicles was reported on the morning of the incident.
