A Brownsville man has a warning for other drivers across the Rio Grande Valley after a metal rod smashed through his windshield on the expressway.

The incident happened Tuesday afternoon.

“An 18-wheeler went over a discarded piece of running board from another vehicle,” Charlie Armendariz said. “The running board flipped up and came down, went through the windshield of my Jeep, and it went through the passenger side."

Armendariz said a mechanic was test driving his car after fixing it up when the incident occurred. The mechanic was the sole occupant in the vehicle.

“Had there been a passenger, I'm afraid they might have been severely injured. If not, worse," Armendariz said.

Armendariz said he's seen lots of objects on the road, but never thought it would impact him directly. 

“There have been a number of times I’ve called in to the local police departments to tell them there's debris in the road,” Armendariz said. “It usually results from somebody traveling in a pickup truck that doesn't secure their load."

The mechanic shop fixed up Armendariz’s windshield for him. Armendariz said the incident is making him think twice about the distance of who he's driving behind, and of objects in the wind. 

“Especially lately with these high winds, I've seen bags, and imagine if one blew across your windshield for a second and obscured your view,” Armendariz said.

Those who see something on the road that looks like a danger to drivers can call police, or report it to the Texas Department of Transportation’s website. 

Armendariz said it starts with other drivers, and he has this message for people transporting materials and heavy objects. 

“It usually results from somebody traveling in a pickup truck that doesn't secure their load, so that's where the problem starts,” Armendariz said. “If the guy carrying would tie it, down the guys traveling behind might not drive into the debris."

Watch the video above for the full story.