Tire Shoots Off Truck...

 Yahoo.com: Tire Shoots Off Truck...

I imagine the driver of the black CUV never even saw it coming.  One second - cruising along... next: flying ass over teakettle.  Hopefully they're OK.

They say he walked away with minor injuries.

There are some really interesting physics here. As a friend noted, a loose wheel has a LOT of energy, especially a heavy one. And it's wrapped in a material specifically designed to transfer that energy as effectively as possible. The CUV was tall enough that the front bumper hit the face of the tire, which would have an upward direction equal to road speed - let's say it's likely about 70 mph. The top of the tire is moving forward at twice ground speed, so it's moving at 140 mph relative to the ground - or a bit less than 70 mph relative to the CUV. So the front of the car got yanked up with a fairly significant jerk and then tossed forward. The impact was hard enough to trigger the airbags immediately.

There are a lot of things that had to line up just right to make that happen. Hell of a ride.

It's not really funny if you were in the accident, but the tire coming back to finish the job does make me laugh.

I drive that route often. Surprised it doesn't happen more often with trucks like that around here. What a wild ride. Glad the Kia held up, something older would have crushed that person. 
 

There is no excuse for poorly modified or maintained vehicles. It's irresponsible. 

I was expecting it to be a tractor-trailer tire blowoff, which from what friends have told me, WILL blow a car off the road when it happens.  120psi in that much volume carries a wallop.

Keith Tanner said:

It's not really funny if you were in the accident, but the tire coming back to finish the job does make me laugh.

I saw that and thought "The one body panel not destroyed... wait nevermind." 

That looks to have broken the axle shaft. The brake disk is still bolted to the wheel. I'm betting sudden catastrophic failure of Chinesium aftermarket parts instead of a maintenance issue. 

I'd say that 'sudden catastrophic failure' of cheap parts sure as hell is a maintenance issue: the truck owner's decision to use cheap parts.

Curious to know what consequences the truck driver/owner gets?

Props to the guy in the CUV staying in his lane the entire time.

New cars are amazingly safe. Ten years ago the driver of the Kia would ave survived, but been pretty badly beaten up. Twenty years ago they would have probably been in serious condition, but still survived. Thirty years ago they would have been dead.

That is a failed wheel bearing assembly, you can see the hole brake rotor/caliper still attached. Guarantee that the much larger (and heavier) wheel/tire combo directly affected the failure. I used to sell bearings and ball joints like hotcakes to these truck guys. I hope the KIA driver/passengers are okay and that their insurance company drops the hammer on the truck owner. There is 0 reason this crash should have happened.

BoulderG said:

I'd say that 'sudden catastrophic failure' of cheap parts sure as hell is a maintenance issue: the truck owner's decision to use cheap parts.

Curious to know what consequences the truck driver/owner gets?

How do you know it was his decision?  Maybe he bought it that way?  Maybe the repair shop he took it to did that.  Maybe its OE parts that wore and failed in an unexpected manner.

Lets not jump to conclusions.

My takeaway is don't drive a crossover.  Ever

In reply to BoulderG :

I would disagree. If you walk into any auto parts store you are getting cheap chinesium parts. 

Case in point off of my middle son's Fiero. In this case, the hub failed and the axle shaft is all that kept the wheel and tire from sailing off. This hub has less than 10k miles on it. Unfortunately, OEM hubs are no longer available and everything in the aftermarket has the same issue. 

The truck owner is in the clear. There is no way for him to know that the part would fail and there is nothing he could have done to prevent it. 

The truck owner may not have broken any traffic laws but I can't see how he, and his insurance, would not be financially liable for objects falling off his truck and causing damage.  I would think if the Kia driver had been severely injured or killed the lawsuit would have been against the owner, anyone who worked on the truck, any manufacturer of the part that failed, and they would probably go after the truck manufacturer for not adequately warning people to not modify their vehicles.

About ten years ago I witnessed an accident where a pickup on the other side of the interstate lost a wheel.  It came across the median and passed me very quickly, I looked in my side mirror just in time to see a couple on their Harley hit it almost square on.  The wife seemed to be OK but I lost any sympathy for the guy when all he was concerned about was the bike and not his wife!

Truck owner needs a good attorney.  The Kia owner likely already has one.  If truck owner's liability policy is at the state minimum (using my home state as an example) the damages sought will likely exceed policy limits.  His insurance carrier will pay the limit, cancel his policy and call it a day.  The balance, if any, will be on him.  He might have recourse against the supplier of the part that failed.  Assuming the part was installed, used, and maintained according to the manufacturer's instructions.

This is going to be a mess.

Oooo, and once down and out, gets spanked in the rear by a hot tire!  Imagine if he had a motorcycle .....

The wheel came off because "a lug nut sheared" huh? OH WHAT'S THIS?

Looks like a brake rotor still attached to the wheel, with lug nuts, so that would be a hub failure.

In reply to jharry3 :

Agreed, but that's a civil matter not a criminal matter. That will be handled by the insurance companies and possibly lawyers, not by the police and courts. 

SuperDave said:

Truck owner needs a good attorney.  The Kia owner likely already has one.  If truck owner's liability policy is at the state minimum (using my home state as an example) the damages sought will likely exceed policy limits.  His insurance carrier will pay the limit, cancel his policy and call it a day.  The balance, if any, will be on him.  He might have recourse against the supplier of the part that failed.  Assuming the part was installed, used, and maintained according to the manufacturer's instructions.

This is going to be a mess.

Another day at work for insurance companies.

Chevy thing and also CA does not have safety inspections, just smog.

Here is a quote from my Tacoma thread:

So down in CT and near my birthday a set of 4 Pedrini wheels for the 914 comes up on Craigslist. I go to purchase them and on the way I happen to look in the rearview and cars are swerving everywhere behind me. Phew I must have just missed a deer. I get home after the week or so long trip and my exhaust is in. I go to put it on and damn where TF did my spare tire go. Then I remembered the cars swerving on the highway and thanked everything I hold holy that I did not kill anyone. 

I got really lucky. There was a recall notice on my desk in the pile of mail for the spare hanger. Seems it could get rusty and disco from the frame...

SuperDave said:

 Assuming the part was installed, used, and maintained according to the manufacturer's instructions.

This is going to be a mess.

Being that the truck is lifted with oversized wheels and tires, that's going to be a no.

This one should (but won't) go all the way to Chevy.  There have been so many class action suits that were attempted but failed to meet the burden because of Chevy's front wheel bearings on trucks.

Now, if that bearing had been growling for the last three months, it should be on the driver.  If it had been replaced, then it's on the shop or the part manufacturer.

Glad I put Timkens on my Express Van.