FREAK ACCIDENT KILLS CAPTAIN - CAR TIRE EXPLODES IN HER LAP

  • Published
  • By Tim Barela
  • Torch Magazine
Dalkeith, Scotland --  An Air Force captain died April 1 after a damaged car tire she was holding exploded in her lap during a vacation to Scotland with her husband five days earlier.

Capt. Jenna Wilcox, of the 100th Civil Engineer Squadron at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, passed away at Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, Scotland, following the mishap in Dalkeith, Scotland, March 27. She is survived by her husband, Capt. Scott Wilcox, of the 48th Civil Engineer Squadron at RAF Lakenheath, England.

Wilcox, 27, had just returned from a year-long deployment to Afghanistan, where she survived a roadside bomb attack and was awarded the Bronze Star. Her husband had also recently returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

Following their deployments, the couple decided to take a vacation to Scotland. During the trip, their BMW Z3, a small two-seater, started running a bit rough, according to mishap investigators. When they pulled over, they noticed a bulge in one of the tires and changed it. However, the damaged tire, which was bigger than the small, temporary spare, would not fit in the car's trunk, even after the couple emptied it and took out the liner. So Jenna, who sat in the passenger seat, carried the damaged tire on her lap while they headed to the nearest garage that could be of assistance some 100 miles away.

When they pulled up to the garage, however, the tire exploded in Jenna's lap, causing severe wounds to her head, neck and back, as well as other internal injuries, investigators said. The blast blew out the car's windows and roof. Miraculously, Scott, who was sitting beside his wife in the driver's seat, suffered only minor injuries from the glass.

Jenna, a Buffalo, N.Y., native, held on for five days, but finally succumbed to her wounds.

"We are deeply saddened by this tragedy," said Col. Chad Manske, 100th Air Refueling Wing commander. "Jenna was a valued member of our team, and her untimely death touches all the personnel at the surrounding bases. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family, friends and co-workers during this difficult time."

According to investigators, it appears the tire had been over inflated, which made it more susceptible to damage.

"If motorists ever find themselves in a similar situation, they should deflate the tire," said Dave Etrheim, a ground safety expert with the Air Education and Training Command Safety Directorate at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. "Had they deflated the tire, it might have been able to fit in the trunk. But, more importantly, it would have released the tremendous pressure the tire was under and eliminated the deadly force that led to the explosion."