A Sonic worker would have been in the front seat of an exploding car if his nose hadn’t led him out of danger, Texas police told news outlets.
The employee was about to head home around 11 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 28, after his shift at a Sonic restaurant in Houston, police told KTRK.
But when he sat down in his car, he immediately noticed a strange smell, the TV station reported. It smelled like some kind of gas, police said.
He rolled his windows down to air out the odor, then stepped out of the car — a fateful choice, as the vehicle blew up just after he exited, police told the Houston Chronicle.
The blast could be heard for miles, and sent debris flying over the Sonic and elsewhere, KPRC reported. Parts of the car were found over 100-feet from where it was parked.
The employee was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, police told the outlet, adding it’s “a miracle he survived.”
Investigators say a leaking ox-acetylene tank in the trunk of the car likely led to the explosion, outlets reported. The Sonic worker apparently has a relative who does welding and left the tank behind.
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