LAKE COUNTY, Ind. — A 15-year-old boy struck by a semi-truck’s disengaged wheel while he was changing a tire on I-80/94 in Northwest Indiana died Friday.
On Tuesday, authorities responded to eastbound lanes of the interstate near mile marker 0.4, close to the state line, on the report of a person struck by an object.
The boy, later identified as William Bell, was on the shoulder helping change a tire with four other people. At the same time, a semi-truck traveling eastbound had a wheel disengage from the rear tandem due to a mechanical issue.
The tire, still attached to the rim, struck the barrier wall and then Bell. He was transported in serious condition to the University of Chicago Medical Center. He died of his injuries on Friday.
The four other people sustained non life-threatening injuries.
