Tire crashes through windshield, killing passenger

Status
Not open for further replies.
Similar thing happened to a friend of mine a while back. A wheel (tire on a rim) rolled from the opposite lanes and crashed into his F150. The F150 suffered major damage, but both my friend and his passenger were OK.
 
I'm guessing trailer wheel. On a tandem axle it might be possible to lose one and keep going. I doubt it would be possible to not notice a missing wheel though. A lot of people have no problem continuing on knowing they caused a wreck or hit someone.
 
looks odd, 6lug? is that half of a dualie wheel set?

235/85R16..
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
I'm guessing trailer wheel. On a tandem axle it might be possible to lose one and keep going.


Yep. Something like a multiple axle equipment trailer. Some have three axles.
 
Originally Posted By: Rand
looks odd, 6lug? is that half of a dualie wheel set?

235/85R16..


Nope, single trailer tire with electric brake drum.

6LugBrakeDrum-Bottom-BTP.JPG

tire-causes-fatal-crash-jpg.jpg
 
Last edited:
Someone didn't service their bearings and use a good cotter key. Likely it came off the driverside, where the rotation of the tire would loosen the nut. They should be looking for a tandem axle trailer missing a wheel/drum/hub assembly from the left side.
 
Last edited:
I didn't realize they used 32" tires on equipment trailers..

Not that I'm doubting anyone.. just seems.. big.
 
Last edited:
I took a fatality years ago from that but it was the driver going to work whose number was up. Came off a rear driver side axle on a semi-trailer.
frown.gif
 
Wonder if the wheel's owner is aware of when it came off, and what the result was. If he was from out-of-state and just passing through, he might never know.
 
Six lugs are used on 5200 lb. axles. Also common on those axles is torsion suspension, which is independent of the other wheel on the same side. One could come off without the driver noticing and if the load was not heavy could continue on one wheel no problem (except for the person hit by the frre wheel).
 
This happened to a guy I know years back. Only the wheel was bouncing real high and landed on his roof. Blew out every window in the car and caved the roof in at freeway speed. He got out with only minor cuts from broken glass. Wasn't even his car. He was driving his friend's car after dropping him off at the airport.
 
Originally Posted By: asand1

Nope, single trailer tire with electric brake drum.
6LugBrakeDrum-Bottom-BTP.JPG

tire-causes-fatal-crash-jpg.jpg



Winner! CSI:BITOG
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: asand1
Someone didn't service their bearings and use a good cotter key. Likely it came off the driverside, where the rotation of the tire would loosen the nut. They should be looking for a tandem axle trailer missing a wheel/drum/hub assembly from the left side.


I've reused cotters a few times (finally bought a cheapo HF set so I won't need to), but I don't get why this is. I've worked the pin a few times, and IMO the bearing would have to sieze in order to for the castle nut to cleanly cut through the pin. It shouldn't take much of a pin to prevent the castle from walking out.
 
Originally Posted By: supton
I've reused cotters a few times (finally bought a cheapo HF set so I won't need to), but I don't get why this is. I've worked the pin a few times, and IMO the bearing would have to sieze in order to for the castle nut to cleanly cut through the pin. It shouldn't take much of a pin to prevent the castle from walking out.


I would tend to agree. I think the cotter pin is many times stronger than it needs to be for a normally functioning bearing. If, however, the bearing failed, I'm not sure there exists a cotter pin that size that would hold the whole works together.

It probably was a wheel bearing failure OR the case of perhaps not installing a cotter pin at all...which is also possible.
 
windshield crashes through passenger, killing tire
passenger crashes through tire, killing windshield
passenger crashes through windshield, killing tire
windshield crashes through tire, killing passenger

donate your body to physics!
 
Originally Posted By: e40
Originally Posted By: asand1

Nope, single trailer tire with electric brake drum.
6LugBrakeDrum-Bottom-BTP.JPG

tire-causes-fatal-crash-jpg.jpg



Winner! CSI:BITOG
smile.gif



Well, I called it 5 minutes earlier... but whatever. I didn't have pictures.
 
About 20 years ago on I69,I had a set of duals come at me from across the median. I saw them coming and adjusted speed as not to intercept them. Shot across my lane waaaay into the woods. Had it been at night, I would have never seen them coming.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top