Big Rig Wheels and Tires Total 1998 Jeep in a Freak Accident
We wish we could say that no Jeep vehicles were harmed in the making of this news story, but we can’t. One of them got totaled.
Daniel Plemmons recently bought a 1998 Cherokee for $2,500. Last Friday morning, he heard a crash outside of his house. Thinking it was caused by an engine that fell off of an airplane, he looked out his back window. Something had definitely fallen off of a vehicle – and bashed into his. A pair of wheels and tires from a semi had somehow been launched right into the driver side of his only means of transportation. During their journey of destruction, they also obliterated Plemmons’ dog house and knocked his satellite dish over.
Plemmons thinks the wheels and tires fell off of a big rig and hit his curb at 55 mph, which caused them to fly into the air and, eventually, his XJ. Plemmons had his Cherokee insured, but his liability coverage doesn’t extend to this kind of damage.
There is some good news, though. Plemmons’ dog is OK and so is his wife. The tires struck the Cherokee only minutes before she would’ve gotten into the driver seat. According to WKRN, “’This [B-pillar] post is here, and where her head would be, it would have probably killed her,’ he said. ‘We have thought about it and prayed about it.’”
Let’s hope that if these wheels and tires separated from a big rig on the nearby highway that the driver of the truck was able to maintain control and not cause an accident. If you or someone you know happen to be the driver of that truck, you should call the Portland, Tennessee police department at 615-325-3434.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
