A young man who works at a Houston area Sonic Drive-In is lucky to be alive after an accident caused a huge explosion that shook a Houston neighborhood so bad the bomb squad and the FEDS came out to investigate.

It Happened Last Friday Night At Around 11:15 PM

According to KHOU and ABC13, an employee of the Sonic Drive-In in the 5100 block of West 34th Street near the Northwest Freeway was leaving work for the evening and went to get inside his personal vehicle. After entering the vehicle, the employee says he began to smell an odor similar to gas.

After Starting The Car, He Rolled Down His Windows

The employee says that due to the smell getting stronger, he rolled down his windows but he decided to eventually get out of the car and that decision may have saved his life.

Moments After Getting Out Of The Car, Police Say The Car Exploded

The blast was huge and shook neighboring businesses. Police report that explosion was so powerful, debris and parts of the vehicle were found hundreds of feet away including the back portion of the car which police say "flew over the restaurant" and landed in the back parking lot. The employee, who found laying on the ground having just barely escaped, was taken to the hospital and was only found to have minor injuries.

What Caused This Explosion?

The blast was so strong that the HPD Bomb Squad and the ATF came out to investigate but discovered that the blast was an accident caused by a an acetylene tank in trunk. Acetylene tanks are used by welders and police say the employee has a relative who works as one and may have had explosive equipment in the vehicle. Police believe the tank was leaky and may have detonated.

This Is Why You Gotta Follow This Simple Rule When Lending Out Your Car

Its moments like this that you have to remind folks that you let use your car that they need to get ALL OF THEIR BELONGINGS OUT of it before you give it back. In this case, dude left an EXPLOSIVE GAS TANK in his car which is messed up but thankfully, he's alive to drive again someday.