Today in Toronto road users who are lucky to be alive, we have the driver of a MINI Cooper whose vehicle was pushed by a dump truck for more than half a kilometre onto and along the Gardiner Expressway.

It's the kind of thing you need to see to believe, but won't be surprised in the least once you do because, hey, that's just Toronto drivers.

Fortunately, nobody was hurt. Also fortunate is that the incident was captured on camera, presumably by someone watching from a nearby condo balcony, and sent to a prolific local purveyor of crazy truck accidents.

Gardiner Expressway ❌
.#gardiner #toronto #trucking #Transportation #dumptruck #accident #6ix pic.twitter.com/eRGqWelTTo

— 401_da_sarpanch (@401_da_sarpanch) March 23, 2021

Police said that the dump truck and the small car "became involved in a collision" just before 10 a.m. on Tuesday at the intersection of Lake Shore Boulevard and Jarvis Street.

The dump truck proceeded to move forward following the crash, entering an onramp for the westbound Gardiner while still pushing the small car sideways. It is not clear if the truck driver knew that the MINI was riding their grill at the time.

Fortunately, after more than half a kilometre of what must have been one terrifying involuntary ride, the smaller vehicle's driver was saved by passing motorists who flagged the dump truck down.

??? Driver didn’t see the car? Hear the screeching tires? See the smoke/dust torrent?

— Scotty Mac (@BlastoffWash) March 24, 2021

TPS Detective Constable Scott Matthews reported that the MINI driver "was lucky to escape with minor injuries." After being assessed by paramedics at the scene, the driver wasn't even transported to hospital.

As for the dump truck driver, they're in trouble: "The driver of the dump truck was charged with several driving and commercial motor vehicle offences," said TPS Traffic Services Sgt. Murray Campbell of the incident.

Specific charges were not disclosed, but it's of note that this isn't the first time such a thing has happened in Toronto: Last January, a salt truck similarly took a smaller car for a ride along the 401, later telling police he couldn't see what was happening in front of him.