A woman has gone viral on TikTok after issuing a safety warning to drivers about the importance of regularly tightening their car’s lug nuts.

Late last week, user @abundantlyrooted posted a video marking the fifth anniversary of a traumatic accident in which a loose lug nut struck her face. Holding up the metal piece—about the length of a finger—she told viewers, “This lug nut went through my face five years ago today.”

She’s fully healed now, but said recovery was a grueling three-year process involving more than 30 surgeries. By sharing her story, she hopes to raise awareness and prevent similar accidents from happening. As of this writing, her video had racked up more than 728,700 views.

What Happened? 

@abundantlyrooted said she was driving about 60 mph toward another car traveling at a similar speed when, without warning, the other driver lost a lug nut.

The metal piece shot through her windshield “like a perfect bullet hole” and slammed into her face. In a follow-up video, she explained that her 12-year-old son was in the passenger seat at the time. He later told her she kept driving for about 30 seconds after the impact, though she has no memory of it. She recalled being found on the side of the road, fearing she might die in front of her child.

Further down the highway, she said, the man’s tire came off entirely and struck a couple on a motorcycle. She didn’t share details about their condition to protect their privacy, but described the entire ordeal as “really, really bad.”

“It was quite the day,” she said.

Why Is it Important to Torque Your Lug Nuts?

Getting your lug nuts torqued to the correct spec is what keeps your wheels from becoming dangerous projectiles. When tightened correctly, the wheel stays snug against the hub, reducing the risk of wobble, vibration, or detachment at highway speeds.

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If your lug nuts are too loose, a wheel can eventually work itself free while you’re driving. Too tight and you risk stripping the threads, warping the wheel hub, or damaging your brake rotors.

A torque wrench might seem intimidating at first, but it ensures even pressure across the wheel, improving handling and braking while minimizing wear and tear. Skip this step, and you could end up with anything from a shaky ride to a total freak accident—as @abundantlyrooted knows all too well.

If you’re not confident in your torque skills, you can follow step-by-step guides online or head to your nearest mechanic. 

Lug nuts might be small, but they’re critical to keeping you safe on the road. In her initial clip, @abundantlyrooted reminded drivers to torque their lug nuts “every time that your tire comes off of your car.”

“And then,” she added, “50 to 100 miles after that, they need to be retorqued.”

Commenters Thank Woman for Sharing Her Story 

Many viewers of @abundantlyrooted’s initial video were stunned. Some praised her surgeons for their skill and dedication—but above all, commenters celebrated that she had survived and persevered through such a tragic accident.

“Girrrl… you DO NOT look like what you’ve been thru,” one wrote. “Thank you for sharing your misfortune for our safety.”

“My jaw literally dropped when you said 30 surgeries… I have to say, they did a very good job. So glad you’re alive,” added another.

“Holy moly! Thank you for sharing this,” a third said. “I in no way want to minimize what you’ve gone through, but I just want to say you look amazing and I would never have guessed that something so serious happened to you.”

Some viewers admitted they had never heard her advice about retorquing lug nuts after 50 to 100 miles, but @abundantlyrooted stressed that mechanics and others should be teaching this to every driver.

“Idk what torquing a lug nut means,” one said before guessing, “tightening?” 

“That’s crazy!! Never seen anyone ‘re torque’ them,” said another. “Never torqued or retorqued them. Never had one come loose.”

To that, @abundantlyrooted replied: “The auto body shops SHOULD be telling their customers to come back for a retorque after driving. Many don’t, and they know better.”

Others—some of whom claimed to work in auto body shops—backed her up.

“I tell people all the time properly torqued lug nuts are more important than you will ever know,” one said. “Over-torquing is just as dangerous as under-torquing, because both can cause them to fly off under stress.”

“I retorque my wheels every now and then just to be sure,” another added. “Any weird vibrations, you should do it too, just in case anyone has been messing with your car.”

Commercial Tire also backs up @abundantlyrooted, noting that after a tire replacement, “it’s crucial to have your lug nuts retorqued in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations,” which is usually after the first 50-100 miles of driving. 

Motor1 has reached out to @abundantlyrooted via a direct message on TikTok.

 
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