Bouncing Tire Smashes Into Car On BQE, Kills Driver: NYPD

BAY RIDGE, NY — A NYPD employee was killed in a freak accident on the Gowanus Expressway Wednesday morning when a tire flew off a sanitation truck and smashed into the man's car, police said.

Robert Martinez, 64, was driving east in a Chevy Tracker on the HOV lane of the Gowanus Expressway in Bay Ridge at 6:36 a.m. when an unhinged tire of a 2009 Mack garbage truck traveling in the opposite direction suddenly blew off the vehicle and shot into the Chevy, shattering the car's windshield and seriously injuring the man, authorities said.

The victim's car spun out of control and collided into a jersey barrier. Emergency responders found the victim with severe head trauma. He was rushed to Lutheran Hospital in Sunset Park where he was pronounced dead.

Martinez was a maintance worker at the NYPD's headquarters in Lower Manhattan, officials said.

The 46-year-old truck driver and a 27-year-old passenger remained on the scene. Officials are investigating the crash.

Lead photo courtesy of Patch