A man has died after his SUV was struck by a pair of tires on a highway north of Vaughan, Ontario Provincial Police say.
According to the OPP, a pair of wheels came off a southbound transport truck on the highway near King Road, at approximately 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
One wheel rolled into the northbound lanes, colliding with an SUV. The SUV swerved off the road before coming to a stop in the ditch.
Video from the scene showed the hood, windshield and roof of the SUV were destroyed by the tire, which OPP said likely weighed about 100 pounds.
Police say both vehicles were travelling at highway speeds and there was nothing the driver of the SUV could have done to avoid the flying tire.
"It's an incredible amount of damage that's been sustained. Obviously there was no time for the driver to react," OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt told reporters at the scene.
The driver of the SUV, a 69 year-old man, was transported to a Toronto hospital by an Ornge air ambulance where he later died.
The truck was carrying lumber and is owned by a company in Quebec.
The driver and the company that owns the rig could be charged with a detached wheel offence under the Highway Traffic Act, which carries a maximum penalty of $50,000.
Investigators are looking in to the truck's maintenance records for possible clues as to why the wheels would have come loose.
"It is absolutely tragic to see something like this happen," Schmidt said.
Highway 400 was closed in both directions between King Road and Aurora Road for several hours while police investigated.
-With files from CTV Toronto's Kendra Mangione and a report from CTV Barrie's Brandon Rowe
