Metal debris causes multiple blowouts on Kansas highway
WABAUNSEE COUNTY KS (KSNT) - A metal piece of debris on the highway caused several motorists to have their tires blown out on Wednesday afternoon.
According to Kansas Highway Patrol officers at the scene, seven vehicles, including a semi-truck, were forced to stop after running over a large piece of metal debris in the road that caused several tire blowouts Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 8, on I-70 near the Ranch Road exit and mile marker 343.
No injuries were reported and no serious accidents occurred at the scene due to the site distance that drivers had which the KHP called their "saving grace". Many motorists were able to see where several cars had been pulled over and slowed down accordingly. The KHP managed to remove the debris within a few minutes of their arrival and began assisting those who had stopped.
The debris looked like it had originally been part of a utility vehicle's ramp that had come loose and fallen onto the highway, reported one KHP officer. It caused small damage to some car's bumpers but mostly affected tires. One vehicle had both tires on its rear axle blown out by the debris. In the case of the semi-truck, it destroyed the air line on the undercarriage which locked the brakes and forced the driver to come to a stop.
The cost of the damages across the seven vehicles that stopped is unknown, though one KHP officer speculated that the semi-truck had received the majority of the damage. It is also unknown how many other vehicles hit the debris and continued down the highway.