A 23-Year-Old Woman Was Hit By A Loose Trailer Wheel On Hwy 401 & Charges Have Been Laid

Driving on Highway 401 is scary enough without the looming threat of flying wheels.

A 23-year-old Ottawa woman was sent to the hospital on Sunday after her vehicle was struck by a loose wheel while driving down the 401.

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) reported that on December 4 at around 10:30 a.m., officers from its Grenville County detachment, along with other emergency services, were called to a vehicle collision on Highway 401 westbound, east of Maitland.

Police said that a tractor-trailer headed east had its tire come off, fly over the median and into the way of a car travelling west.

The OPP posted a photo of the vehicle on Twitter, and the damage left in the wake of the tire was not pretty.

In the photo posted about an hour and a half after the incident, the white SUV appears to be missing one of its doors and sustained some pretty serious damage on the driver's side.

Police said the woman was taken to a hospital by paramedics and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

The westbound lane on Highway 401 was briefly closed following the incident. Police said the investigation remains ongoing.

Grenville OPP told Narcity the driver of the tractor-trailer has been charged with failure to do an inspection and driving an unsafe motor vehicle.

They warned commercial drivers in a tweet to remember their pre-trip inspection.

Grenville OPP also reminded drivers to call 911, 1-888-310-1122 or Crime stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 if they see a driver they believe is impaired because it "could save a life."

Last month, another wheel came off of a vehicle on Highway 401, and OPP said the driver who had been hit by the wheel was "lucky to be alive."

So you may want to double-check that pre-trip inspection before you head out.