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Freak Accident: Semi truck's wheels crash through family's backyard

"It could've been tragic. I mean, somebody could've lost their life."

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A terrifying close-call in St. Louis County when truck parts come crashing into a backyard.

A family in the 37000 block of Comstock was inside their home Saturday when they heard a boom. They came outside to find a six-foot hole in their wooden fence. And then, they learned the thing that did all the damage came from the highway up the hill from their home.

“It knocked out half the tree. It bounced on the ground and you can see the divot where it hit,” said Dante Stewart.

He found the big rig wheel assembly laying in the yard. The whole thing weighed hundreds of pounds.

“They were just smoking on the ground.”

Stewart and his girlfriend, Melanie Tesson, say the sound of the busting fence could've woken the dead.

“It sounded like an earthquake. It was so loud,” said Tesson.

Jim Thacker was driving northbound on Interstate 55 when he saw the wheels break loose from the truck and bounce across eight lanes of the highway.

“There were three vehicles in front of me and thank God, nobody hit their brakes or swerved or anything like that,” said Thacker. “It came across the highway and didn't hit anything.”

Because the truck never stopped, the homeowners may have to pay for the fence repairs themselves.

“We called the insurance company and talked to them a little bit,” said Stewart.

He’s relieved the wheels didn't come any closer to something far more important: the three children who live at the home.

“It could've been tragic. I mean, somebody could've lost their life.”

In Missouri, large trucks are supposed to be inspected at least once a year to prevent accidents like this.

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