MAGNOLIA, Ark.—Blake Icenhower got a one-ton wakeup call, courtesy of his co-worker behind the wheel of his pickup truck.

As the 19-year-old laid in bed Friday morning at a Magnolia hotel, co-worker Hoby Armstrong went outside to start his Dodge diesel truck. Armstrong says he keyed the engine on and stepped out of the cab.

That’s when the lifted truck—complete with “aftermarket” parts—roared through the motel’s brick-and-mortar wall, pushed aside a bed and went toward Icenhower.

Icenhower says Armstrong was able to jump back into the cab and stop the truck a foot away from hitting him. Armstrong suffered a scrape to his arm.

Motel owner Ken Patel says if the truck had struck two brick support beams less than five feet away, the top floor might have collapsed.