Getting hit with tire tread @ 80mph...

tara g

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Rob & I went to New Jersey this weekend for my grandpa's memorial (He passed away on September 27th). We drove my mom's car from North Carolina to New Jersey, and left our car in NC at their house. We dropped off my mom's car and my brother at their house last night, and picked up our Integra to drive back to SC since we had a lot to do today. We were just north of Columbia, SC on I-77, I was napping in the passenger seat, when I felt the car jerk and heard glass cracking. When I opened my eyes, I had a lap full of little glass pieces, some in my face, and some on the coat I was wearing. Rob even got it on him in the driver's seat. He said that he saw something under the car in front of him give off sparks, and before he could do anything, a tire tread off a semi truck slammed into the front of our car and skirted across the fender, smacking the windshield. Luckily we both are fine, and the car is only dented a little bit. We had just hit 190,000 miles on the way home, too! So now we're $300 less than we started with, thanks to that tire tread. Had to get the windshield replaced today at Glasspro (and we only have liability on the car..)









Apparently, my mom had this feeling that something was gonna happen to HER car on the trip home (she is still in NJ, flying back). Turns out, it was our car that had the problem!
 

trouts mom

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Oh my! How scary! I'm glad you both are okay...too bad you don't have the comprehensive coverage..but at least you are okay


The truck driver didn't notice?
 
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tara g

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I'm guessing he didn't notice, and if he did, he was long gone off an exit somewhere. The tire didn't blow in front of us, it had been caught under a car right before it smacked us. So it could have been there for awhile. We did check a semi we had passed right after it happened, but his tires seemed fine.
 

natalie_ca

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OMG! You're so lucky you didn't run off the road when that happened!

Did you guys manage to get the name of the trucking company or license number of the truck to claim damages?

I'm so glad that you are ok and that you weren't all cut up from the glass. That must have been very scarey
 
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tara g

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We have no idea what trucking company the tire had come from. It could have been on the road for hours - since there is always a lot of tread lying in the interstates. When we were on I-81 in Virginia, a truck had swerved off the side of the road to avoid some tread in the lane, too. When we were looking at houses in NC back in 2004, we saw a truck's tire blow in front of us to the right ... the tread hit the car in front of us and then flew over the roof of our truck. Rob & I had actually been talking about it prior to this one happening. Such a mess it made! The glasspro place vacuumed up the glass for us. We figure that instead of paying $100 extra a month for comprehensive insurance, paying only $300 right now was okay. (But we DID spend entirely too much money today - booking a cruise, fixing the windshield, buying my wedding band [cheapest of everything!], paying for a land survey and plat ....)

I'm sure glad I wasn't driving, I probably would have freaked out! Also glad my eyes were closed, because I know I would have gotten little tiny glass shards in my eyes, since I had some on my face. I sure could do without that ever happening again though. I've heard of them coming all the way through windshields before...
 

lunasmom

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I was going to say, Thank goodness you were sleeping and had your eyes closed! I couldn't imagine that!!!

I'm glad to hear you and your boyfriend are OK!
 

koodeez

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Yeah... That's about the best my city (Columbia) has to offer....

That's funny you mentioned that... I had to driver up to Chester, SC today for work and had to swerve around a piece of tread... maybe it was yours???

You very lucky that wasn't a foot higher... that could have possibly pierced thru...

Glad to know your both alright...
 
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tara g

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Originally Posted by koodeez

Yeah... That's about the best my city (Columbia) has to offer....

That's funny you mentioned that... I had to driver up to Chester, SC today for work and had to swerve around a piece of tread... maybe it was yours???

You very lucky that wasn't a foot higher... that could have possibly pierced thru...

Glad to know your both alright...
Usually Columbia offers me torrential rain when I drive through, this time it changed it up a bit! (When I'd drive to see Rob when I still lived in NC, EVERY freakin' time I drove through Columbia, I could barely see in the rain!).

Definitely glad it hit where it did and not right in the center or something. Hopefully it'll be a once in a lifetime experience!
 

krazy kat2

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Retreads on tires are illegal in some states. I rememeber there was a retread place on every corner in a part of Augusta, GA, until so many of them blew off, they made them illegal then. It has only been in the past 3-4 years I have been seeing them again.
I am so glad both of you are ok. As bad as it was, if you had your eyes open I shudder to think how bad it could have been. It could have been in a worse place, too. Right in the middle and both of you could have been hurt badly.
 

gailc

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I agree that retreads shouldn't be sold!!
Also good time you weren't more seriously injured.
 

EnzoLeya

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Oh my goodness! I'm so glad you are ok!!!!!! What a scary thing, too bad you weren't able to take down his plate numbers! I had a window break too, but I had full coverage. We still didn't use insurance because they would have only paid $50 so it was pointless. So don't feel bad you couldn't use insurance!!!!
 
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