The tires of a tractor-trailer can weigh approximately 100 pounds or more. If they come loose while the truck is in motion, it can pose a threat not only to the truck operator but to drivers of surrounding vehicles. Such a scenario recently played out in Peach County, Georgia, on Interstate 75. The loss of a truck tire reportedly caused the death of a 36-year-old woman after it reportedly struck her vehicle.
The accident occurred last Sunday afternoon. For reasons that are unclear, two tires came off the axle of a northbound 18-wheeler. The truck driver, a 31-year-old man from Florida, managed to slow the tractor-trailer and bring it to a controlled stop. Meanwhile, one of the tires made its way into the southbound lanes after clearing a 5-foot concrete median. A southbound SUV lost its roof when the tire crashed into it. The SUV then struck another tractor-trailer, this one southbound, and the force of that collision sent it into the concrete median.
The SUV driver died instantly. At the time of the collision, her parents and child were riding in the SUV as passengers. They reportedly sustained non-life-threatening injuries, but it is unclear whether they required hospitalization.
The crash is still under investigation, and the driver of the tractor-trailer that lost its tires faces misdemeanor charges of unsafe vehicle/equipment, defective tires and second-degree vehicular homicide. As of last week, he was still in jail. Those who suffer injury or loss on account of another motorist’s negligence may find it helpful to contact an attorney.