The driver claimed concrete had fallen from a tunnel in Florida, causing him to miss a small amount.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WFLA) – The driver is fortunate to be alive after a concrete slab hits his car while driving a tunnel in South Florida.

Gary Gervino was passing through the Henry E. Kinney Tunnel in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday when some of the concrete smashed the window behind him.

“We didn’t know what the hell was going on, so we turned around, D and I were surprised and the complete rear window crashed,” Gerbino told NBC affiliate WTVJ. “It was scary, it was really scary. I was shaking.”

The driver pulled through his window to figure out exactly what had passed. Gervino found lots of concrete chunks along with glass throughout the rear seat.

“If there were kids in the back seat they would be dead. I’m grateful that I didn’t crash the sunroof or windshield. If I crashed the windshield, I’m not here.”

Gervino expressed concern over the incident given that the tunnel had previously been closed for improved safety and repairs, WTVJ reported.

In 2021, the Florida Department of Transport launched the Henry E. Kinney Tunnel Rehabilitation and Tunnel Top Plaza project to improve structural, mechanical, electrical, architectural and life safety, including removal of peeling tiles and repairs to spall and ventilation.

“It’s all been fixed,” Gervino told WTVJ. “It’s brand new, and why does the ceiling fall?”

Now, Gervino is urging the department to reevaluate the tunnel as the incident may have had different outcomes.

“If it was my windshield, I would have crashed,” Gervino said.

“The initial report suggests that a vehicle that is higher than the 13’9 tunnel height clearance hits part of the tunnel ceiling,” FDOT communications manager Guillermo Canedo told WFLA.com.

Canedo reminds drivers to pay attention to height clearance warnings to avoid collisions with the structure.

It is unclear when the taller vehicle struck the tunnel and loosened the fallen concrete.

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