WSP

This Nissan Sentra was hit by a wheel assembly that broke free from a semi truck on eastbound I-90 in Bellevue on Tuesday, May 29, 2007.

ISSAQUAH, Wash. - For the third time in three weeks, tires have come off a truck and crashed into another vehicle on a Western Washington freeway.

The Washington State Patrol says a semi on eastbound I-90 lost its tires at the exit to West Lake Sammamish Parkway.

The tires hit the Nissan Sentra being driven by 19-year-old Sung Shin of Tacoma.

"I saw this tire coming at me. I saw cars all around me, so I really couldn't do anything, so I took it," said Shin, laughing.

The driver of the semi says he didn't realize the tires came off, and only realized it when a passing car flagged him down. He says company, Ruan, has an aggressive safety program.

The State Patrol says the driver apparently chained up the wheel assembly to the truck afterwards and was going to continue on until being stopped by troopers. It's still not clear why the tires came off.

WSP

The Washington State Patrol says the driver of the semi chained up the assembly to the truck and was going to continue on after the crash.

On May 11, a wheel assembly came off truck on northbound I-5 in Tukwila and bounced into the southbound lanes. It hit an oncoming van, killing 31-year-old John Ellis of Bothell, who was in the passenger seat.

A few days later, a tire flew off a dump truck and slammed into several cars along Highway 202 near Fall City. Nobody was hurt.