Pedestrian knocked off feet by runaway tire escapes serious injury in moment caught on video

A 19-year-old man was walking down a sidewalk in Chile when he was struck by a runaway tire that knocked him off his feet.

Big picture view:

The incident happened on Thursday in Providencia, one of the municipalities in the greater Santiago area, according to local media outlet BioBioChile, which reported that the wheel detached from a moving vehicle and struck two cars before bouncing into the man’s path. 

Bystanders can be seen rushing to help the injured man within seconds of the impact. 

What they're saying:

Providencia Mayor Jaime Bellolio said the pedestrian, whose name was not released, was left with multiple bruises but was not seriously injured. 

He told BioBioChile that because the wheel came from behind, the pedestrian wasn’t able to see it coming, which is why he fell so violently from the impact.

The vehicle involved had been identified, Bellolio said. It was not clear whether the driver faces any charges or what caused the wheel to detach. 

The Source: Information for this story came from Storyful and BioBioChile. This story was reported from Orlando.