Semi Loses Two Tires, One Hits Minivan Windshield

Semi Loses Two Tires, One Hits Minivan 3/10/08
WAUKESHA COUNTY - A tanker truck traveling west bound on I-94 near Springdale Road lost two tires.

With little time to react, one wheel crashed into the minivan, sending glass flying into the driver's face.

Four people from Broadhead, Wisconsin were in the mini van, on their way to Milwaukee.

The driver of the van is going to be okay. He's already out of the hospital. Three passengers were unharmed. The truck is owned by WRJ Transport and they're not commenting.

The second tire rolled harmlessly onto the shoulder of the roadway.

A Department of Transportation video camera caught the accident on tape.

The runaway tire worries commuters like Bill Kadrich.

"It's kind of mind boggling," Kadrich said.

What makes it even more frightening, the tanker was hauling more than 8,000 gallons of gasoline.

"Absolutely it's a concern. Not only for the materials it's carrying, but also the tires that are heading down the interstate at you at 65 miles an hour," had the Wisconsin State Patrol's Nate Clarke said.

The veteran trooper says trucks lose tires frequently, they just usually don't hit other cars, and while there's not much the van driver could have done here, Clarke's seen many drivers make the mistake of veering the same direction as the tire.

"The typical reaction for a driver is to try to counter steer away. One they generally end up doing is steering to avoid that, but that's the way the tires also heading," Clarke said.

Last Friday, a wheel fell off a Bell Ambulance and crashed into a minivan. The man driving the minivan was injured.

In January, a Milwaukee County sheriff's deputy was injured when a loose tire crashed into the windshield of his SUV.

Back in November, Dr. Krishna Neni was killed on when a wheel from a truck crashed through his windshield. Dr. Neni's family is suing the truck driver and the trucking company.