Westside residents fear wheels, debris flying off I-10

Last week, truck wheel struck 2 homes, car

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – While interstate driving can be frightening, a Westside resident has learned that living behind a major highway poses its own dangers.  

After a wheel that came off a tractor-trailer on Interstate 10 struck two houses and a car last week, the owner of one of those homes is asking for a safety wall to be built to keep other highway debris from flying onto their property.

Amanda Bradley said the wheel flew over a fence, struck her grandmother's house, bounced off and struck her home and her car.

"We heard a really loud bang on the house, in the whole house, and I knew that something had hit it," Bradley said. "I mean, the pictures rattled, the TV rattled. It sounded like somebody had ran into the house."

Bradley  tracked down the truck driver, who had stopped on 1-10 after losing not one, but two wheels. News4Jax contacted the trucker, who admitted the wheels came loose and said he was trying to make things right.

What Bradley wants most is something no truck driver can provide: barrier walls between the interstate and the homes in the Crystal Springs neighborhood that backs up to the interstate.

"Things flying across the interstate, flying through the fence line. What would happen if one of my babies or somebody was in the yard when this happened? It could’ve been fatal," Bradley said.

The Florida Department of Transportation said it only puts up barrier walls to block sound, but said it would look into whether any safety improvements can be made in Bradley's neighborhood.


About the Author:

Jim Piggott is the reporter to count on when it comes to city government and how it will affect the community.