Pickup truck hits stopped car, sending driver to his death off overpass in Brazil

A 64-year-old driver died after being thrown from an overpass when a pickup truck crashed into his stopped car in Santa Maria, Brazil, on January 31, 2026. The man was standing beside his vehicle when the impact sent him over a concrete barrier and into the gap between the elevated roadways.

The driver had stopped his Volkswagen Gol in the left lane after its hood unexpectedly opened while he was driving. Surveillance video shows a white Fiat Toro approaching from behind and slamming into the stationary car, sending debris flying and the vehicles skidding across the road. The man fell to the roadway below and died from his injuries. His companion, who remained inside the car, suffered minor injuries, according to Brazilian news outlet Metrópoles.