A Wheel Flew Off A Truck's Boat Trailer On The QEW & Killed A 77-Year-Old Driver

A bouncing wheel from a new boat trailer has killed a 77-year-old man from Oakville driving on the QEW.

OPP Highway Safety Division said a wheel came off a boat trailer and hit three vehicles on October 18, resulting in one death and closures, according to a series of tweets.

OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said the wheel came off a westbound vehicle near Winston Churchill Boulevard and bounced into the eastbound side, where it first struck a white Mercedes, killing the driver.

Schmidt told Narcity the incident happened at 11:20 a.m. and that the driver of the Mercedes didn't have time to react.

Despite the damage to the vehicle, a 77-year-old female passenger in the Mercedes managed to take control of the wheel and slow down to park, where she crawled out, uninjured.

The wheel went on to hit two more vehicles before becoming lodged underneath the third.

The truck driver towing the boat trailer did not stop and claimed he didn't know a wheel had come off, according to Schmidt.

Schmidt said the truck driver had just picked up the boat trailer from a dealership and was bringing it back to the marina for the first time.

The driver was later located in Grimsby, and police are investigating why the wheel came off.

"This was the first time this trailer has been on the road. It does not appear to be a wheel fastener failure because of the nuts. It also doesn't appear to be a bearing failure because of lack of lubrication," said Schmidt. "So they're looking into whether there was some improper installation or what other mechanical issue led to the failure."

Anyone with information on the accident is asked to call Burlington OPP.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.