How Did This Happen? Truck Wheel Kills Innocent Bystander – LocalNews8.com

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) – Some people may wonder how an entire wheel could suddenly fall off a truck.

This comes after a woman was found dead after a wheel, with the tire still attached, came loose from a semi-trailer and hit the woman.

70-year-old Treva Ward was discovered on Highway 33 on Monday.

After an autopsy, the Ada County Coroner’s Office found several traumatic injuries on Ward’s body.

According to the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Ward was near her home when a tractor-trailer wheel suddenly came off and struck her.

The truck driver returned to the scene of the accident when he heard about the lost tire.

Local News 8 spoke with a truck driver who was not involved in the accident to find out what may have caused the trailer’s wheel to come off.

“To me it sounds like a maintenance issue, possibly … someone didn’t do a proper pre-trip inspection,” said truck driver John Sullivan. “You do a pre-trip inspection, you usually do a mid-trip inspection for the day, and then you do another inspection when you’re done with your inspection for the day.”

Mechanics said these types of accidents can still happen even when all maintenance protocols are followed.

Local News 8 will continue to provide updates as this investigation progresses.