Thirteen-year-old in Cranston is hospitalized after being hit by truck wheel

CRANSTON — A 13-year-old girl was seriously injured Tuesday afternoon when she was struck by a wheel that flew off a pickup truck as she was crossing Dyer Avenue near Oxford Street with two friends, according to the police chief, Col. Michael J. Winquist.

The left-front tire and rim hit the girl, of Cranston, from the front and knocked her backward at about 3:30 p.m., Winquist said.

She was taken to Hasbro Children's Hospital, where she was admitted to the intensive care unit with serious injuries, including a concussion, but is expected to survive, the chief said.

The driver, 43, of Cranston, remained at the scene.

In an update, Winquist issued a press release Oct. 5, saying the driver had purchased the truck from a private party earlier in the day and was returning to Cranston when the wheel came off.

"It appears the pickup had been stationary for some time and that the tire had recently been removed to perform a repair to a brake line," Winquist said. "It is believed the lug nuts may have not been properly tightened when the tire was reinstalled."

Investigators found the lug nuts at the scene.

The driver was cited for the following motor vehicle violations: driving with an expired license, vehicles without required equipment or in unsafe condition, operating a motor vehicle without evidence of insurance (2nd offense), and improper use/evidence of registration.

Alcohol and speeding are not suspected as factors in the crash, Winquist said.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Cranston, RI 13-year-old girl struck after tire comes loose from truck