FRIENDSWOOD, Texas – A Friendswood family is dealing with the aftermath of a freak incident that destroyed their SUV.
On Sunday, David Cox and his family saw their 2017 Acura MDX burst into flames. Cox's wife had just gotten home.
"I was just baffled. I can't believe that it happened," Cox said. "My wife backed [into the driveway]. She had just got a car wash and then got gas, and she noticed that the car was smoking, so immediately she got the kids out of the car as fast as she could."
She first removed their 4-year-old son, who Cox said has a heart condition, and then her 4-month-old daughter.
"Then she came and got me frantically screaming, 'David, the car is smoking!'" Cox explained.
Not a minute later Cox said they came outside to see their Acura in flames. The fire, Cox said, started to grow rapidly, tires popping.
"Basically it was a huge cloud of smoke covering the entire street," Cox said. "The whole street smelled like burnt plastic."
This family escaped from their SUV just in the nick of time. Their story at 6 tonight only on 2 @kprc2 pic.twitter.com/7Zh6nKTjDQ
— KPRC2 Rose-Ann Aragon (@KPRC2RoseAnn) January 15, 2019
As firefighters worked on putting out the flames, Cox was focused on his family.
"Concerned about my kids' safety and my wife's safety," Cox said.
Neighbors helped take the children to safety. However, Tuesday, Cox is still dealing with the aftermath.
"Here it is. It's pretty unrecognizable of a car," Cox said pointing to what was once the Acura.
Ashes and the skeleton of the car's frame sit on his driveway. The smell of fire still lingered in the neighborhood air. Cox couldn't help but wonder.
"There was no warning sign. There was no anything. We never had an issue with the car; it was pretty spontaneous," Cox said.
Cox said the family had just purchased the car in February. Cox said insurance officials used his VIN and said there were no recalls on his particular model.
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This family escaped from their SUV just in the nick of time. They said it happened in the span of minutes. Their story at 6 tonight only on 2 KPRC2 / Click2Houston
Posted by KPRC2 Rose-Ann Aragon on Tuesday, January 15, 2019
"It got rubber on the garage. See the discoloration," Cox said. "It got rubber on the house."
The heat from the fire also cracked their home's window as well as totaled Cox's other truck.
"The whole driver's side is melted," Cox said.
However the images from the fire are enough for Cox to be very thankful, he said.
"The child's passenger seat is over there. My daughter's seat is over there," Cox said pointing to what is now burnt metal.
Cox said he is counting his blessings.
"We are extremely lucky. It could have been 20 minutes down the road. [My wife] could have still been driving. Anything that had been damaged has insurance, and everything that's not replaceable is fine," Cox said.
Cox said that since he bought the car less than a year ago, it is still under warranty and all the damage will be covered. Cox said he hopes that what happened to him doesn't happen to anyone else. He's thankful his wife got his family out just in the nick of time.