Tonya Young remembers seeing something flying towards her like a “Frisbee.” She had no idea it was a truck’s loose tire, which could have killed her on her way to work.
Just before 7 in the morning of May 5, the Conyers woman’s car was hit while she was traveling to her workplace in Sandy Springs.
Her SUV’s roof was torn off when a commercial truck tire smashed into her windshield on Interstate 285. After the collision, Young’s SUV automatically stopped, a safety feature she believes might have saved her life.
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“It was unbelievable,” she told 11 Alive.
She doesn’t remember everything, but she does recollect a brief moment in the ambulance.
“They opened the ambulance door and they were all like, ‘We would like to see who this angel is,’” she recounted. “That was a little terrifying for me because I didn’t understand what was going on.”
She believes that her faith rescued her.
“I’ve always learned that whatever is in you is what will come out of you,” she explained. “When I saw the tire approaching, I just remember saying ‘Jesus’ three times. Based on what my beliefs are, when you call on Him, He will answer. And I believe He answered me that morning.”
Meanwhile, Young revealed she hasn’t been able to drive since the accident and may not be able to do so for some time. She is still recovering from bodily injuries, including glass stuck in her chest.
Since a neighbor recently passed away in a similar situation, she claimed the emotional burden has been especially overwhelming.
“She didn’t make it — and I did,” Young said. “I’m so thankful and truly blessed.”
Young is currently working with attorney Miguel Dominguez to help her navigate the investigation.
According to him, “wheel-off” incidents—in which tires or wheels come loose from moving vehicles—occur more frequently than most people think. However, government agencies do not track them.
“They should be tracked, there’s no question in my mind,” Dominguez said. “As we investigate this further, there will be human error attached to it. Lug nuts and wheels don’t just come off.”
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