HOUSTON – A man was killed and his 11-year-old child was injured after their vehicle was hit by tires that flew off an 18-wheeler, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
HCSO Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the incident happened as the big rig was traveling southbound on Interstate 45 near Conroe after 3 p.m. Thursday.
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Two tires on the left side of the big rig’s middle tandem axle came off the truck and “rolled uncontrollably,” Gonzalez said.
One tire veered toward the median, bounced over a center wall and entered the northbound lanes of the highway. It then struck a vehicle in the windshield, Gonzalez said.
The tire struck the driver, 32-year-old Simon Lee, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
His son was in the backseat and suffered minor injuries, Gonzales said.
Family members told KPRC, KSAT’s sister station in Houston, that the boy is in the hospital.
The other tire veered off to an access road, where it hit a car and caused minor damage. The driver of that car was not injured.
KPRC reported that the driver of the big rig stopped down the road and remained on the scene.
No charges have been filed but Gonzalez said authorities will review the truck’s maintenance history.
Update to crash scene on North Fwy: the driver of the tractor truck-trailer was traveling s/b in the 20500 blk of the North Fwy. The two tires on the left side middle tandem axle came off the truck and rolled uncontrollably in the main lanes of the North Freeway. One wheel 1/3 https://t.co/e2WoRSMqbU
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) August 5, 2022
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