‘This could have been deadly’: Transport truck wheel strikes vehicle on Hwy 401 in Toronto

Police say a man is “lucky to be alive” after a wheel separated from a transport truck along Highway 401 in Toronto.

Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said the incident occurred along the westbound lanes of the highway.

In a video posted to Twitter at around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Schmidt said a wheel separated from a transport truck and struck the side of a vehicle.

Schmidt showed the vehicle, saying it was “totally messed up.”

“Fortunately it only took the side of it,” Schmidt said.

The driver of the vehicle — identified only as Mark — said he saw the wheel “at the last second” and changed lanes to avoid it.

“I moved over just in time and it plowed into the side of me, instead of my front windshield,” Mark said.

Schmidt called the incident a “pretty scary situation.”

“Again this is why we talk about making sure your vehicle is safe for the road,” he said. “Check those wheel fasteners. If you’ve had them changed recently because of a brake job or because of a seasonal tire change, you have to check your wheel nuts and make sure they’re properly torqued and tightened down and they’re not going to fail.”

Schmidt said the incident “could have been deadly.”

He also urged transport truck drivers to complete daily inspections to make sure their vehicle is safe for the road.