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Man killed, 11-year-old injured after 18-wheeler loses tires, striking 2 cars on the North Freeway, HCSO says

A man is dead and his 11-year-old son was injured when an 18-wheeler lost two of its tires while on the North Freeway Thursday afternoon.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the 18-wheeler was traveling southbound on I-45 near Louetta when one of the tandem axels broke and two tires went flying.

Gonzalez said one of the truck driver’s tires went to the right side and hit a vehicle heading northbound head-on, killing the driver.

The driver of the 18-wheeler stopped about a mile and a half down the road and stayed at the scene until officers arrived.

The driver who was killed was identified by his family as Lee Simmons, a hardworking father of four daughters and one son.

Family members said Simmons’ 11-year-old son was in the car and is currently in the hospital.

No charges have been filed, but Gonzalez said the investigation is ongoing and the truck’s maintenance will be reviewed, which will determine if this was just an accident or if there were any signs of negligence in maintenance.

Simmons’ family says they want to make sure that the city of Houston does more to crack down on big truck driving safety measures and said big trucks are a danger to the public and more should be done.

The family has since started a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses.

The crash was cleared since 5:30 p.m. Thursday.


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