Taco Bell Hot Sauce Saves Life of Man in Florida Car Crash

A Florida man’s life was saved, in a way, by Taco Bell hot sauce last week when a car crashed into the restaurant right where he was sitting.

A man in Winter Haven, Florida narrowly avoided death last week while sitting near a window at Taco Bell. According to a report by local CBS affiliate WTSP Tampa, the anonymous man got up from his seat to get more hot sauce packets from the counter. In the brief moment he was gone, a car crashed through the wall, demolishing the place where he had been sitting.

The car was reportedly driven by 77-year-old Emmanuel Akowuah. He was attempting to pull out of a handicap spot in front of the restaurant, but mistakenly put the car in drive instead of reverse. Akowuah’s wife was in the passenger seat. Police said that there were no injuries in the crash. The building, however, suffered severe damage.

This is the second time this month that Taco Bell hot sauce has been credited with saving a human life, and devotees of the restaurant are singing its praises. According to a report by The Oregonian, an outdoorsman in Oregon found himself trapped in his car for five days, with no food inside but Taco Bell hot sauce packets.

The man was 36-year-old Jeremy Taylor who set out on an off-roading trip with his dog on Feb. 24. However, the snow was too deep and they became trapped. They slept in the car overnight and more snow fell, making any slim hope of hiking back to freedom impossible. Taylor and his dog were trapped for five days, turning on his car occasionally for heat.

During that time, Taylor subsisted on packets of Taco Bell’s signature spicy sauces, which were stashed in his car from previous visits. Eventually, a snowmobile rider discovered him and returned with a snow tractor to rescue him. Taylor addressed the whole incident in a Facebook post.

“Thank you everyone, I’m safe my Ally dog is safe,” Taylor wrote. “I really appreciate all the help. Got lucky, lets [sic] never do that again. I’ll be in touch with everyone soon.”

As for the desperate diet, Taylor responded to a comment saying: “Taco Bell fire sauce saves lives.” According to a report by PEOPLE, Taco Bell responded by giving him a year’s worth of free Taco Bell, hot sauce and all.