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Tractor Trailer Front Wheel Separation Accident
Wheel Loss from Tractor Trailer
The left front tire separated
from a tractor trailer, crossed a grassy median and collided with an oncoming vehicle resulting in
a fatality accident. Witnesses reported that the “tire was on fire” and numerous spot fires were created along the path
the tire followed through the grassy median. The
tractor trailer's front wheel bearings had been replaced within the past 25,000 miles.
Following the highway patrol accident investigation, the
tractor trailer's front axle and steering assembly
were retained, but were not properly preserved (see
evidence
preservation).
Metallurgical failure analysis revealed that the
tractor trailer's left front wheel
bearing had overheated and disintegrated thereby allowing the
tractor trailer truck tire wheel to separate from the
tractor front axle.
The root causes of the bearing failure were determined to be either inadequate wheel bearing
lubrication, improper wheel bearing installation, wheel seal failure and/or defective wheel bearing manufacture.
Back to Truck Accidents
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