Victim crushed by 7,000-pound metal pipe hitting his van, making miraculous recovery

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A man who survived a 7,000 pound metal pipe crushing his van while he was driving on a Florida highway has a long road to recovery.

Jesus Armando Escobar, 36, has a broken neck and several scrapes and bruises, his attorney told WFTV.

Antonio Santiago Wharton, 33, of Kissimmee, was driving a Mack truck loaded down with scrap metal through Orange County Sunday morning.

As he negotiated a curve, he lost control of his truck, hit the guardrail and overturned, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

A 7,000 pound metal pipe flew off Wharton’s truck, tumbled off the highway overpass and landed squarely on the roof of Escobar’s Pontiac Van.

The force of the impact crushed the driver side roof of the van, troopers said.

Wharton was ticketed for careless driving.

Cox Media Group