Teen struck by semi wheel while changing flat tire on I-80
LAKE COUNTY, Ill. (CBS) – A 15-year-old boy is being treated for potentially life-threatening injuries after he was struck by a wheel from a semi-truck trailer on Interstate 80 Tuesday morning.
Indiana State Police said around 10:30 a.m., Master Trooper Lawrence McFarrin responded to a pedestrian struck on I-80/94 eastbound at the 0.4 mile marker.
Initial reports say a passenger vehicle was parked on the right side of the road along the shoulder with the occupants attempting to change a flat tire on the vehicle. A semi being operated by PDQ Trucking LLC out of Mendota, Illinois, was traveling eastbound at the same time and location.
A wheel from the trailer become detached from the rear tandem and continued to travel east along the barrier wall still attached to the rim, state police said.
The wheel struck the teen who was assisting with the tire change. He was taken to a local hospital and later transferred to a hospital in Chicago for treatment.
Four other individuals outside of the vehicle also suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
The driver of the semi was also taken to a local hospital for toxicology tests – a standard protocol in these types of incidents, officials said.
Drugs and alcohol results are pending but are not believed to be a factor in the crash. The truck was impounded for a post-crash inspection to be completed at the tow lot.
Hoosier Helpers, ISP Motor Carrier Enforcement Division, Hammond Police, Hammond Fire, and Bert's Towing assisted at the scene.