A father-of-one has died after a loose tire fell from the back of a trailer and struck his windshield as he was travelling on a Texas highway.
Clayton Vaughn, 21, was the passenger in the car which his girlfriend was driving when the incident took place at about 8.30pm local time on Thursday (13 April).
The driver was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, but Vaughn sadly passed away as a result of the crash.
Deputies from the Harris County Precinct 5 Constable's Office said the tire fell from a truck with a landscaping-style trailer which had been heading east on the Katy Freeway in Texas.
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Randrell Alexander witnessed the scene unfold on Thursday evening, and told ABC 13 the truck had no license plate.
She described how the tire rolled into the highway's high-occupancy vehicle lane, which is reserved for the use of cars carrying more than one person. It struck a white pickup truck before bouncing over the highway barrier and hitting Vaughn's SUV.
"It went straight into the windshield like 'Boom!'," Alexander said. "I saw it. I saw glass and I saw the hood pop up and the car started spinning."
Vaughn's death comes just four months after he welcomed a daughter, a baby girl, into the world.
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His uncle Evan Richard described the new dad as a 'big old teddy bear'.
Speaking to ABC 13, he added: "He was a young 21-year-old trying to find himself in this hectic world. He just went to church Sunday."
Richard said he was not 'here to place judgement' about the accident, but added: "Things happen, but obviously, negligence of some sort played a role in this.
"He was a passenger in a vehicle struck by an oncoming tire. What are the chances of something like this happening?
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"[You should] know, you are endangering lives around you, and I can't bring him back. But I can get the message out that you can do better. The city can do better."
Vaughn's aunt Priscilla Stansell set up a GoFundMe following her nephew's death to help cover the funeral costs and support his daughter.
"I am raising money on behalf of my nephew Clayton, who lost his life last night suddenly and very tragically in a car accident," Stansell wrote on the page.
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"My sister Rebecca does not have the money to cover the costs of the funeral services, so my hope in raising money is that this will alleviate some of the stress she is feeling.
"I also would like for some of the money to be set aside for Clayton's beautiful 4-month-old daughter that he leaves behind. I do not want her to ever have to worry about a thing in this life without her daddy."
The constable's office has said the driver of the truck could be charged with failure to stop and render aid if they are found, though the decision whether to charge them will be made based on evidence reviewed by the Harris County District Attorney's Office.
Emily Brown