Tires roll ‘uncontrollably’ off semi — one killing 32-year-old driver, Texas cops say

A 32-year-old man was killed on Thursday, Aug. 4, when a tire that fell off a tractor-trailer slammed into his vehicle, a Texas sheriff says.

The driver of the semi was traveling southbound on Interstate 75 near Louetta when two tires fell off the tractor-trailer, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said. Louetta is about 30 miles northwest from downtown Houston.

The tires rolled “uncontrollably” and one bounced into the northbound lanes, where it struck a windshield and the 32-year-old driver, according to the sheriff. The impact also tore off the roof of the vehicle.

Lee Simmons, the man driving the vehicle, died at the scene, Gonzalez said. An 11-year-old passenger in the backseat, who KPRC reported is Simmons’ son, suffered minor injuries.

The other tire struck a vehicle in the service lane, but the driver was uninjured, the sheriff said.