Wheel Flies Off Truck, Killing Woman And Causing Major Accident
Freak accidents happen on the road all the time. Most of them are caused by tires. Tire-related accidents create a yearly death toll in the high hundreds, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. An accident involving a rogue wheel caused one death and resulted in several people being rushed to the hospital with severe injuries, according to this report from ABC 7.
A woman and her 17-year-old son were driving southbound along a freeway in New Caney, Texas when a GMC pickup traveling northbound passed by. A wheel from the truck came off and went flying across the concrete barrier, smashing into the windshield, killing the mother, who was driving, instantly.
As a result of this first incident, the woman’s vehicle rear-ended another vehicle that held a father and three children.
The 17-year-old son in the first vehicle and the father and three children in the second vehicle were all rushed to the hospital with serious injuries. The GMC pickup, sans one wheel, eventually came to a stop after a second wheel also broke off. It is unknown what, if any, injuries the driver of the GMC sustained in the event.
While these kinds of accidents can be freak occurrences, and therefore impossible to foresee or prevent, this illustrates the responsibility we all have to maintain our vehicles and tires on a regular schedule. Accidents like these might be prevented if we keep our vehicles in good shape.
