21-year-old father Clayton Vaughn killed by flying tire on Katy Freeway
By Accident.NEWS
Publish Date: April 15, 2023
Clayton Vaughn was killed and his girlfriend, the driver of the SUV, is expected to be okay.
A 21-year-old father of a 4-month-old girl has been identified as the person killed when a tire flew into the windshield of an SUV on the Katy Freeway on Thursday night. Clayton Vaughn was the young man who died. His girlfriend, who was the driver, is expected to be OK.
The crash happened at about 8:30 p.m. along the westbound lanes of the Katy Freeway near Blalock. A tire bounced onto the freeway's westbound lanes, hitting a Kia SUV on the Katy Tollway. The driver never stopped, leaving many questions about how this happened.
According to the latest information from authorities, a truck with a landscaping-style trailer attached to it was traveling eastbound on the freeway when the tire flew off the trailer. At first, deputies with the constable's office believed the tire came from an 18-wheeler but then spoke to more witnesses.
Randrell Alexander, one of the witnesses who saw the terrifying ordeal unfold, said she saw the tire fly off the trailer of a black truck, which did not have a license plate. According to Alexander, the tire was bouncing around before another truck made contact with it. It rolled into the HOV lane and a white F-150 pickup hit it when it bounced and went over the barrier.
"It went straight into the windshield like 'Boom!' I saw it. I saw glass and I saw the hood pop up and the car started spinning," Alexander recalled.
The driver could be charged with failure to stop and render aid, if found. However, the evidence will be presented to the Harris County District Attorney's Office, which will ultimately decide whether to charge the driver.
"He was a passenger in a vehicle struck by an oncoming tire. What are the chances of something like this happening? (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," Richard said.
The family created a GoFundMe to help raise his 4-month-old daughter and funeral expenses.
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Tags: Fatality, Houston, Texas, Failure to Yield, #Houston, #Texas, #KatyFreeway, #ClaytonVaughn, #roaddebris, #safetytips, AAA
Incident at a Glance
- Parties Involved:
- Clayton Vaughn
- Vehicles:
- Kia SUV, truck with a landscaping-style trailer, white F-150 pickup
- Fatality:
- YES
- State:
- Texas
- City:
- Houston
- Location:
- Katy Freeway near Blalock
- Time of Incident:
- about 8:30 p.m.
Katy Freeway near Blalock
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