'A pretty scary situation:' Wheel detaches, strikes windshield of car on Hwy. 401 in Toronto

A driver has been charged after a wheel separated from their vehicle and shattered the windshield of another car on a major Toronto highway.

The incident took place on Monday afternoon on Highway 401 near Victoria Park Avenue.

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“A pretty scary situation," OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt told CP24 in an interview after the incident. "A vehicle travelling eastbound, a passenger vehicle, lost a front wheel. That wheel came rolling off. Bouncing across the highway into the oncoming lanes over the concrete wall into the westbound side slamming into that vehicle."

Photos provided by police show the windshield had completely shattered on the passenger side. There also appears to be a large hole in the top of the vehicle from where the wheel made impact.

Schmidt said there were three passengers in the vehicle at the time, including two adults and a child. Only minor injuries were reported. Schmidt said the individual sitting in the front passenger’s seat, where the wheel made impact, saw it at the "last second," ducked and "probably saved their life."

“Big tire or small tire. Commercial vehicles or passenger vehicles. When you’re coming at that kind of speed, you can see the absolute damage and intrusion that has on the vehicle,” he said.

Schmidt said police do see a spike in incidents like this when drivers switch over from their winter tires and encouraged drivers to make sure that their wheels are functioning properly

Police say the driver of the other car has been charged with having a detached part.