This is the astonishing moment when a lorry that had lost its brakes collided with a small family hatchback, sending it – along with its five occupants, including a child – tumbling off a bridge.

Horror CCTV footage shows the HGV veering into the opposite lane at incredible speed last Thursday afternoon in Brazil.

The lorry driver managed to miraculously swerve back into the correct lane to avoid what could have been a head-on collision with another truck.

The choice to proceed resulted in the runaway lorry slamming into the compact hatchback, forcing it off the route and through the protective barrier, plummeting from the overpass.

The red car is captured terrifyingly flipping through the air before plunging out of sight to the ground below.

The lorry then hit another truck in its path, causing it to spill its cargo as it zigzagged across the single carriageway.

Traffic police desperately scrambled to the scene to administer first aid, cordon off the area, and manage the resulting traffic.

Unbelievably, the family-of-five in the car that went off the bridge managed to survive the horror ordeal.

One person’s injuries were considered serious while the others’ were minor.

Those injured were treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to local healthcare facilities.

The incident unfolded on a stretch of the BR-116 highway in Cândido Sales, south-west of Salvador, Brazil.

The drama ended when the timber-loaded lorry plunged down an embankment alongside the motorway.

The Federal Highway Police say a terrifying brake failure caused the accident.

And, despite their presence, they were unable to stop locals from looting the split timber.

The road was reopened to traffic about two hours later.

A mere few days ago, footage caught the moment a speeding bus filled with students swerved across the road before plunging into a river.

A video shows the double decker narrowly avoiding cars before flying off the road near Eastleigh, Hampshire.

The speeding bus squeezes between an oncoming car and a learner driver before crashing through a fence into the River Itchen, on Bishopstoke Road.

19 people were left injured following the disturbing ordeal, which was over in a matter of seconds.

Video from inside the vehicle, filmed by one horrified passenger, also shows the double decker barrelling down the Hampshire road.

Terrified screams can be heard from the students, who shout, “we’re going to die”, before the video cuts off.