the friend should have waited on the shoulder for hours to let the wreck get cleared up and then he could have driven home trouble free.
anyway, i think overheating causes things to expand. you know, things like hoses and such. then they blow up all over the car and underside of the hood and what a mess! if nothing spewed, puked or otherwise exploded i'd say your friend may have gotten lucky.
no wonder his car got overheated!
