Lucky escape after wheel falls off Shropshire limo and rolls across carriageway
A group of factory workers had a lucky escape when a stretch limousine owned by a Shropshire firm lost one of its wheels, which rolled across the road and narrowly missed them.
A stretch limousine caused traffic chaos when a wheel fell off in a busy Cannock street and rolled across the opposite carriageway, narrowly missing a factory worker.
The workers were on a break outside the Gestamp chassis plant in Wolverhampton Road, Cannock, when the limousine, which was carrying people to Cheltenham racecourse, lost its wheel.
Witness Stuart Howard said: , aged 46, was among the group of stunned bystanders on the pavement
"It is the first time I've seen anything like this happen in front of me," he said.
"I heard a clunking noise on the road. Then the next thing I saw was the wheel coming along on the road. Then I saw one of the temporary staff kicking it out of the way because it was heading towards him.
"There was also a car coming down the road and they had to slow down. The wheel came to rest on the path," the press shop worker said.
And it left a score mark running behind the car for several yards.
An investigation has been launched to find out how the right rear wheel came off.
to come off, in Wolverhampton Road, outside Avon Business Park.
The car was operated by 2XL Limos. Matt David, a director of the Telford-based firm, said: was carrying people going to a horse racing day out to Cheltenham.
Motorists faced queues in both directions when it was forced to stop in the middle of the carriageway, blocking traffic heading towards the town centre.
As the drama unfolded the wheel bounced across the road towards a group of workers from chassis plant Gestamp, who were standing at the factory gate during a tea break.
One man used his foot to kick it away, to prevent vehicles striking the rolling tyre. Passers by took pictures on their mobile phones.
Stuart Howard, aged 46, was among the group of stunned bystanders on the pavement
"It is the first time I've seen anything like this happen in front of me," he said.
"I heard a clunking noise on the road. Then the next thing I saw was the wheel coming along on the road. Then I saw one of the temporary staff kicking it out of the way because it was heading towards him.
"There was also a car coming down the road and they had to slow down. The wheel came to rest on the path," the press shop worker said.
Director of Telford based 2XL Limos Matt David said: "We're not sure what caused the car to fail. It will be investigated independently to find what the issue was with it. You don't expect things like this to happen with a car that is used for special occasions. We replaced the car and the passengers were able to continue their journey."
He added that the model was about four years old and that manufacturer in the United States would be contacted as part of the investigation.
Motorists faced queues in both directions after the limousine was forced to stop in the middle of the carriageway, blocking traffic heading towards Cannock's town centre.
