'It happened so fast:' Driver narrowly avoids head-on collision with tire that flew off truck on I-94

Joyce Schroeder

IXONIA -- A Jefferson County driver narrowly avoided a head-on collision with a flying tire that came off a moving truck on I-94 near Ixonia. The driver says quick thinking and alert driving saved her life.

It happened Wednesday morning, Aug. 1, as Joyce Schroeder headed to an appointment.

"It happened so fast," said Schroeder.

She was on I-94 in Jefferson County when she noticed something out of the corner of her left eye.

"Maybe on the freeway two or three miles. A huge black object was bouncing towards me. It was a massive tire. It was huge. It was probably about the same size as my car," said Schroeder.

Schroeder said it just missed her car, with her kids inside.

"I had to slam on the brakes, swerve and it missed my windshield by like, that much," said Schroeder.

Her son Sawyer was sitting in the front seat.

"A huge tire was rolling in the road -- right in front of our car," said Sawyer.

The tire came off a truck traveling in the opposite direction. It crossed over the median before going airborne. The driver pulled over when he realized something wasn't right.

Schroeder said she hates to think about what could've happened if the tire collided with her vehicle.

"I was nauseous and upset pretty much all day. It would have probably smashed me and my son and crinkled my car," said Schroeder.

She said she's grateful for another day, and credits her focused driving for helping her avoid a potential tragedy.

"Pay attention to not just what's right in front of you, but your whole surroundings," said Schroeder.

FOX6 News reached out to the crane moving company. They are investigating -- going through the entire fleet of truck to make sure this doesn't happen again.