This shocking footage shows when a BMW driver is killed in a traffic accident when he tried to overtake a taxi at speed but lost control and crashed into a bridge pier before it flipped over and caught fire.
The fatal incident was recorded by several passersby on a road in Guangzhou, in China’s south-eastern Guangdong Province, at around 8:30 am on 18th October.
Dash-cam footage from one passing motorist shows a blue BMW suddenly changing lanes to the right while approaching an intersection, attempting to overtake a yellow electric taxi travelling in the same direction.
But the driver of the BMW could not overtake the taxi in time as they reached a busier section of the road with several vehicles taking up each lane.
Unable to stop on time, the driver instead tried to switch into the right-most lane quickly but ended up being pushed off the road by the taxi.
The BMW lost control and crashed to the side of the bridge, where it flipped over and caught fire.
After the fire was extinguished, emergency medical staff found that the driver of the blue BMW lost his life.
Witness Mr Kong told local media that the incident occurred during the morning rush hour when traffic flow was relatively steady.
He said: “I was driving in the leftmost lane when I saw these two cars chasing each other.
“I also watched videos from other drivers’ dashcams and noticed that this chase and competition between the two cars lasted for nearly one kilometre [0.6 miles].”
Mr Kong said that the speed limit on the road where the accident occurred is around 50 kilometres [31 miles] per hour.
He said: “Judging from my 20-plus years of driving experience, their speed could have been around 100 kilometres [62 miles] per hour.
“At the time of the accident, it seems the BMW driver intended to force the yellow taxi to stop, but the taxi did not brake, leading to the collision.
“I witnessed the incident; the impact occurred about 50 metres [164 feet] in front and to the right of me.”
After the accident, several employees from the nearest toll station reportedly attempted to put out the fire using more than ten fire extinguishers from the station.
However, the fire was too intense to be extinguished. Local fire department personnel arrived later and managed to put out the fire.
Authorities later towed the vehicles away from the scene and freed the road for traffic.
The victim has only been identified as a 30-year-old vice president of a local business.
The taxi driver, also not named, had been detained, local media reported.
The investigation is ongoing.
