Driver Injured When Vehicle Hit by Detached Tractor-Trailer Tire on I-35

A Minnesota driver suffered serious injuries when his vehicle was hit by a tire that detached from tractor-trailer early Friday morning.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports that a Freightliner driven by an Iowa driver was southbound on I-35, 6 miles north of Eagleville around 4:15 a.m. when the left front tire detached. The tire crossed the median and struck a northbound tractor-trailer, operated by 58-year old Thomas C. Einerson of Olivia, Minnesota.

The tractor-trailer which lost the tire was able to come to a controlled stop. Einerson’s truck travelled off the roadway and crossed the median where it came to rest, partially blocking the southbound lanes.

Einerson was transported by Lifeflight Eagle to Unity Point Health in Des Moines.