A story about airport troubles being relayed by a customer in the back of Esteban Torres’ rideshare car quickly got drowned out by the sound of a fiery explosion early Tuesday morning.
He was shuttling that customer home when they both noticed a ball of flames about a quarter-mile ahead on Northeast Loop 410 near Austin Highway.
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A dashboard camera inside Torres’ car also captured the moment, along with commentary from Torres and his customer.
“Even in the video my reaction was kind of monotone. I didn’t know how to react,” Torres told KSAT 12 News, hours later. “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
San Antonio police said investigators still are not sure what went wrong.
However, according to witnesses, the truck suddenly went off course around 4 a.m., collided with a highway sign and barrier, rolled onto its side before it skidded along the eastbound lanes.
At some point, the 18-wheeler also burst into flames.
“He kind of veered into the barrier on the left and lost control. It literally just exploded on impact,” Torres said. “Whether he fell asleep at the wheel or he just made a critical mistake, hitting something and losing control, it’s unfortunate.”
Police officers said they found the driver, whose name has not been released, still strapped in by his seatbelt.
The truck cab was reduced to a burned-out shell.
Fuel from the big rig spilled all across the eastbound lanes. Debris from the explosion was sent flying onto the other side of the highway.
Police shut down the highway in both directions for several hours. The remaining closed lanes reopened after 1 p.m.
Torres said what he saw was haunting and may even force him to make a career change.
“I’ve been doing Lyft for a while, and it’s kind of making me rethink it, especially since I do it at night,” Torres said. “I always tell my wife and kids, ‘Hey, there could be a day where I don’t come home.’ And it makes me think about that.”
