Posted on 04/02/2010 1:21:12 PM PDT by decimon
A US air force officer who was on holiday in Scotland has died after a car tyre she was holding exploded.
Capt Jenna Wilcox, 27, was on a break with her husband when the accident happened in Dalkeith, Midlothian, on Saturday.
She died at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh on Thursday, five days after she sustained the injuries.
Capt Wilcox was holding the car tyre inside the vehicle, because it would not fit in the boot, when it exploded.
It is thought the couple had changed the tyre on the BMW Z3, after noticing a bulge in it, but that Capt Wilcox was holding it because the boot was full of luggage.
It is not known what caused the tyre to blow up.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
This raises the obvious question: What was she doing in Tyre in the first place? Perhaps residents of Sidon should be warned as well.
Anybody remember Red Green and the Air Dare?
Sad.
I wonder if the tire was way over-inflated? Or had nitrous gas in it? Or maybe the bulge was a very weak spot.
Wow,what a horrible accident..
We know life isn’t “fair” and one can die any time
but this just breaks my heart.
People who haven’t been THERE don’t relate to the
folks dying around them like veterans, I saw enough
in Vietnam and it’s never stopped, you just notice
it more.
http://jennawilcox.blogspot.com/2009_07_01_archive.html
It has been cold there. Ireland just received 15 inches of snow. There was a weakness in the tire, tire was probably at proper air pressure, and when brought into the warm car the tire and the air inside warmed up as well. When that happens the air pressure goes up and boom!
I had that happen to me with a bicycle tire. It was too cold to work on it outside so I brought it in and the tire blew while I was working on it.
If they thought it was dangerous enough to remove it from the wheel why did they not deflate it before bringing it into the passenger compartment? Sad.
Not even the least bit amusing.
One of nation’s bravest and you throw off a joke.
What the story does NOT address is what kind of medical care was she given? In the US or even at a field hospital she would have survived
Fair enough. I apologize.
Last entry:
This will be my last entry. Both Scott and I are home, safe and sound and I no longer have a reason to continue with this blog.
There were several purposes for this blog. The first and foremost was to share my experiences with family and friends. I also wanted to let people know about the military and what we experience in a combat zone. As an Air Force Officer who is not a pilot, it is very unlikely that I will again be in a situation where I am the war fighter. I am usually in a support role; my job ensures that planes get off the ground so they can fight the enemy. But this time, I was the one directly fighting the enemy. To the pleasure of my parents, that probably won’t happen again.
Oh, this brings tears to these old eyes.
t.
RIP.
Never heard of tires being this dangerous. Freak accident.
Safe passage, Capt. Wilcox.
Thank you for your civility.
That is so sad. I peeked at her blog. She was a pretty lady and seemed like a nice lady. R.I.P.
From the headline, I thought this was another story about in the Middle East.
I once knew a guy who worked in a Firestone tire shop that this happened to. When the tire exploded, it broke his jaw and took out most of his teeth. He was lucky to live through it.
Ever since he related his story to me, some 30 years ago, I’ve felt anxious whenever I’m inflating a tire. I always use a tire gauge, so as not to over-inflate.
Deadly steel belt shrapnel. Bad as a roadside IED. May the lady rest in peace.
Sounds like it had a separation in the sidewall.
I’ve seen aircraft tires blow but they are a lot
higher pressure. I worked in the tire shop at
NAS Atlanta and was always leery inflating those
things. We always used a cage of course but still.
My thoughs and prayers go out to her husband
and family.
Eternal Father...
Do you know/like the Johnny Cash song “Drive on - it don’t mean nothin’”?
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