05.01.2026 18:35
In Kağıthane, a car lost control and slid down a slope due to snowfall, narrowly avoiding a disaster. A child playing with snowballs in the street noticed the approaching vehicle at the last moment and squeezed between two cars. Those miraculous moments of escape were captured by a security camera.
On the first day of the new year in Istanbul, the heavy snowfall was causing a disaster in Kağıthane. A car that lost control and slid down the hill brought a small child playing in the street face to face with death. The child's split-second reaction resulted in a miraculous escape.
ONE STEP AWAY FROM DEATH: THE MOMENTS ON CAMERA
The incident occurred on Thursday, January 1, around 1:00 PM in the Hamidiye neighborhood of Kağıthane. After the snowfall, the hill turned into an ice rink, and the car, which lost its driver's control, began to slide rapidly. At that moment, a small child playing with snowballs in the street, completely unaware, noticed the approaching car at the last second.
Realizing that he would be caught under the rapidly approaching vehicle, the child instinctively squeezed into the gap between two parked cars. The out-of-control car was able to stop by crashing into the vehicles right next to where the child had taken refuge. The small child emerged from between the cars, having narrowly escaped disaster, and ran away from the scene in fear.
"THERE WAS A PROMISED CHARITY"
The terrifying moments were captured second by second by the security camera of a nearby business. Okan Bakaç, a local shopkeeper who stated that he was horrified when he watched the footage, described the events with the following words:
"The accident happened right in front of our office. When we looked at the camera recordings, we were literally shocked. Our neighbor's child really had a promised charity. An incredible escape, we were very happy. You know how they say; 'better a loss of property than a loss of life.' That’s exactly what happened. There is material damage to the cars of 2-3 of our neighbors, but the most important thing is that our little one didn't even have a scratch."
THE DISASTER JUST MISSED ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE NEW YEAR
The snowfall that began in the first hours of the new year across Istanbul caused difficult moments for drivers in the city's steep hills.
After the accident, which was survived with material damage, police teams launched an investigation into the incident.