‘Freak accident’ sends big rig tire through windshield, killing two, Ohio cops say
.png "Two tires came off of a big rig on an Ohio highway and smashed into a van, killing two people inside, officials said.")
Two men were killed when a large tire came crashing through the windshield of their van, Ohio authorities told news outlets.
The van, which was carrying five people, was traveling along U.S. Interstate 75 at about 11 a.m. on June 12, near Tipp City, when the accident occurred, according to an Ohio State Highway Patrol release.
Two tires came off of a big rig at the same time, crossed the median and careened toward oncoming traffic, the release said. The tires first hit the side of a 2020 Dodge Caravan, then kept going until they hit the victim’s van “head-on,” investigators said.
The tires went all the way into the van, appearing to stop at head-level in the back passenger seat, video by WHIO shows.
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The driver of the van, 77-year-old David Wright of Franklin, and 72-year-old passenger Jon Weidel of Brookville died at the scene, according to the release. Three other passengers, ages 58, 71 and 79, were taken to hospitals and are expected to survive.
Nobody else was injured, the release said.
The collision is under investigation, but officials said it appears to be an accident.
“This is an absolute freak accident,” Cameron Haller, chief of Tipp City Emergency Services, told WDTN. “I know that semi-trailers do all kinds of preventative maintenance. It just, this time it just mechanically didn’t work out.”
Tipp City is roughly 16 miles north of Dayton.
This story was originally published June 13, 2023 at 10:29 AM with the headline "‘Freak accident’ sends big rig tire through windshield, killing two, Ohio cops say."