Family lucky to be alive after runaway boat flips off truck and smashes into their car in 'near-death' highway smash

By JOE HUTCHISON, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 01:52, 12 May 2026 | Updated: 01:52, 12 May 2026 A family were left traumatized after a runaway boat flipped off the rear of a truck and smashed into their vehicle. Ingrid Achterberg captured the moment the poorly secured vessel hit her car as she was driving with her family on a road trip in Cariboo, British Columbia, last week. Her footage shows the green boat careen into the air before colliding with the front of her car, causing those inside the vehicle to scream out. Pieces of debris can be seen flying across the front of the vehicle after it is hit, with Achterberg pulling into the side of the road immediately after.  'What happened?', her daughter asks as Achterberg reassures her everything is okay and urges her family out of the vehicle.  ngrid Achterberg captured the moment the poorly secured vessel hit her car as she was driving with her family on a road trip in Cariboo, British Columbia Debris flys over the front of her vehicle after the boat collided with the family on their journey Drivers in Canada face fines if they are found to have unsecured loads Erica, whose own daughter was also in the car, described the whole thing as a 'near-death experience'. According to the family the boat owner came back shortly after they pulled over. The family are said to be having massages and physiotherapy appointments as therapy.  In Canada, drivers with unsecured loads can be hit with fines if they do not take necessary steps to secure loads. The City of Edmonton, in Alberta, has a whole webpage dedicated to reminding drivers to do so. It said: 'It is common to see vehicles hauling material in Edmonton. However, drivers sometimes forget to secure their loads properly, allowing things to fall off along the way. 'Material from an unsecured load that falls onto the road endangers other drivers and creates litter, which is unsightly and bad for the environment. 'Securing your load with tie-downs, a tarp, or cargo net doesn’t take long. These items can be purchased for less than $20 at most local hardware stores.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.