A Prince Albert, Sask., business was damaged Sunday after a set of tires came off a semi trailer, charting a short-lived course to freedom.
In a move of intrepid independence, the wheels and axle came clean off the semi at about 6:50 p.m., barrelling straight toward Prince Albert Alarm Systems.
Security footage from the company shows the tires were on the lam for roughly 20 seconds, rolling down 2nd Avenue West before crashing into the building on 30th Street.
“I chalk it up to a freak accident,” general manager Jeff Stumpf told Global News.
He was made aware of what happened by a friend who was driving past the building on his motorcycle.
Get daily Saskatoon news
“It’s a busy neighbourhood — lots of walking traffic, lots of vehicles,” Stumpf said, noting two people walked through the parking lot a couple of minutes before the collision.
“Thirty seconds earlier, my friend could’ve been hit by the tire (while) driving his motorcycle … so it could’ve been a lot worse.”
It’s unclear how the wheels of misfortune got loose, he said.
The driver didn’t realize they’d come off, and had to be flagged down at the next set of lights, he added.
Police were informed, and the semi had to be towed away, Stumpf said.
The tires hit one of the building’s front doors and a support column, which had to be torn down and replaced temporarily with wood. Insurance has yet to assess the damages.
“Nobody got hurt. We can repair the building. Nothing happened to the driver,” he said.