I was in rush hour traffic in the HOV lane and couldn't avoid what looked like something small in the road. When I hit it with the front tire I knew that it was something hard, then it hit my rear tire, and this is what happened...



I'm glad this was in my mazda and not my mini. Turns out I had hit a piece of a tractor trailer brake drum that was in the road.

 

OMG, wow that's a big hole; and it went straight through your wheel as well.

Def. hope you are all right, and the rest of your car.

 

The sound that made when it went through your tire and wheel must have been alarming. In fact, I'll be surprised if you didn't soil your drawers.

 

I started to cringe as soon as I hit it with the front tire. Then I heard the BOOM, THUD! My husband and I knew that the tire was flat, we thought it was shredded, until we went to put on the spare. I didn't even know that could happen!

 

Glad you're ok!

 

That is crazy!!!

 

Holy s....t , Mazda or MINI still painful .. glad you are OK.

 

That's insane!! Also a reminder of all the crap we sometimes have to contend with on the roads around here! Glad the damage was limited to your wheel & tire which is easily replaceable.

 

Back in 1988 (OMG, 20 years ago) I was heading back to VA Tech after a weekend at home. A friend was driving my car and I was sleeping as we motored down Rt 29 in the middle of the night.

I woke up to a loud bang and us pulling over to the side of the road.

Turns out we, too, had hit a half of a tractor trailer brake drum that was lying the middle of the road. Except we took it head on, down the center of the underside of the car. It ripped the oil pan right of the car and stranded us.

Thankfully, there was a very, very kind cop who helped us get a tow, then gave us a ride to his jurisdiction's county line where he radioed for another cop to pick us up and found us a rent a car. Great guys.

They are such a dangerous hazard and do such tremendous damage. My friend was very shaken by the whole experience (and felt guilty about my car, though he couldn't have done anything).

I'm so glad you're also okay and nothing other than property loss occurred.

 

Oh my!!! Glad you 2 are okay though and only damage to the tire & wheel.... that must have been scarey...

Donna

 

WOW glad you are OK

 

Thanks everyone!

Yeah, it defiantly scared us. Now just to get it to the shop to make sure that the tire and rim were the only things that were damaged.

 

I work for a trucking company (very large) and from my experience this

kind of thing usually happens from poor preventive maintenance on the

part of the company. Since the trucking industry was deregulated in the

early 1980's anyone with a few bucks can buy a truck and call themselves

a trucking company. There are tens of thousands of these small com-

panys out there and for the most part they are the ones that are respon-

sible for this type of situation, it happens all the time, believe me. That

being said, I'm glad you are ok and it was'nt more than a wheel and tire.