Tractor-trailer tire kills driver in Henrico Co.

Yesterday morning, a tractor-trailer was travelling eastbound on Interstate 64 when it lost a rear tire.  The tire bounced across all lanes of traffic and the median before colliding with a Ford minivan travelling westbound.  The tire struck the minivan's windshield on the driver's side.  The driver of the minivan, 36-year-old Stephanie L. Bender, died at the scene.

A spokesperson for J.E. Liesfeld Contractors, Inc., the company that owns the tractor-trailer, said that equipment failure was the apparent cause of the lost tire.  A tire seal may have ruptured, and the resulting friction may have caused the tire to become dislodged from the axle.  No charges have been filed but the investigation is ongoing.