Couple injured by flying wheel on Hwy. 401 recovering at home

The daughter of a couple injured when a tire flew off a pickup truck and smashed into their car on Hwy. 401, told CityNews exclusively that her father worried about just such a thing happening.

“He’s always been afraid of that happening – with tires flying off,” Karen Pitt told CityNews. “He talked about it before and he was always afraid that would happen on the highway, so it’s kind of weird that this actually happened.”

The wheel demolished the windshield and roof of a Honda Civic headed west in the express lanes just before 2:30 p.m. Friday.

“A pickup truck travelling eastbound lost the tire and the rim,” Sgt. Dave Woodford said. “The tire went across into the westbound lanes and struck a Honda Civic.”

Woodford said the couple were trapped in the car. Firefighters managed to free the victims and they were taken to North York General Hospital with minor injuries.

“They’re both resting right now,” Pitt said. “They just have to heal from their wounds and bruises.”

Police say the tire bolts on the pickup truck appeared to be loose.

The 23-year-old driver, Trevor March of Bradford, was charged under the Highway Traffic Act for operation of an unsafe vehicle and for the wheel detaching from his vehicle.

“I was driving down the 401 going eastbound near the 404 and my tire just completely fell off my truck bouncing about 20-30 feet high into oncoming traffic and colliding with the vehicle,” March told CityNews.

“I’m just happy no one died.”

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